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Information on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is often latently detected in diagnostic tests conducted for other purposes, providing opportunities for maximizing value. This study aimed to develop a convolutional neural network (CNN) to identify the risk of OSA using lateral cephalograms.The lateral cephalograms of 5,648 individuals (mean age, 49.0±15.8 years; men, 62.3%) with or without OSA were collected and divided into training, validation, and internal test datasets in a 5:2:3 ratio. A separate external test dataset (n=378) was used. A densely connected CNN was trained to diagnose OSA using a cephalogram. Model performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Gradient-weighted class activation mapping (Grad-CAM) was used to evaluate the region of focus, and the relationships between the model outputs, anthropometric characteristics, and OSA severity were evaluated.The AUROC of the model for the presence of OSA was 0.82 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.80-0.84) and 0.73 (95% CI, 0.65-0.81) in the internal and external test datasets, respectively. Grad-CAM demonstrated that the model focused on the area of the tongue base and oropharynx in the cephalogram. Sigmoid output values were positively correlated with OSA severity, body mass index, and neck and waist circumference.Deep learning may help develop a model that classifies OSA using a cephalogram, which may be clinically useful in the appropriate context. The definition of ground truth was the main limitation of this study.

Oubliee au profit d’ecrivains comme Dumas a qui elle pretait sa plume, Gabrielle du Poilloue de Saint-Mars (1804-1872) ne s’est pas contentee de se masquer derriere des identites d’emprunt ; elle a fait du masque un leitmotiv de son œuvre. Le present article entend montrer combien, pour cet auteur, ecrire sur le masque et sous le masque permet de preciser une poetique, plus encore qu’une simple image esthetique. La comtesse montre la comedie humaine a l’œuvre, avec ses vanites, et n’hesite pas a se referer a La Rochefoucauld pour adopter un masque auctorial inattendu : celui du moraliste. Le motif du bal masque lui fournit en outre un motif romanesque et symbolique exemplaire. Au terme de l’œuvre comme de la vie de la comtesse Dash, la desillusion semble la meme conclusion pessimiste : les visages demasques ne tiennent pas leurs promesses, le temps et la mort mettent fin au carnaval.

Background: This study investigated potential biological control activities, involving the promotion of growth and antifungal activity against Fusarium oxysporum and Phytophthora drechsleri. Methods and Results: Among the microorganisms isolated from an Astragalus cultivation area and from Korean kimchi, three species were selected. These included A11, which displayed excellent pathogen mycelial suppression ability in dual culture tests. It was identified as Bacillus sp. on the basis of 16s rRNA sequencing. Growth promoting ability was tested by dispensing the three selected strains in pots, to be cultured for 4 weeks. The strain A11 increased the fresh plant weight by 50.8% and increased the fresh root weight by 36.6% compared to untreated samples. The respective increases of the other strain were 18.4% and 35.6% by strain, A10, and 28.0% and 31.1% by strain B2-087. In terms of pathogen control, when the A11, A10, and B2-087 were alternatively tested for 4 weeks against F. oxysporum or P. drechsleri, the A11 control rate was 74.1% compared to the group that received no treatment. Meanwhile, the others had shown control rates between 70.4% and 18.5%. Conclusions: The three selected strains induced the growth of A. membranaceus Bunge, which suppressed the development of root rot and wilt disease.

Intrinsic hydrogenated amorphous silicon (i-a-Si:H) films lead to excellent surface passivation of crystalline silicon wafers. However, a-Si:H deposition on a crystalline silicon wafer often results in undesired epitaxy growth, which deteriorates the passivation property, In this paper, we studied the influence of varying plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) parameters, such as the product of the gas pressure (P) and the electrode distance (Di) and the hydrogen dilution ratio (P = SiH4/(H2 + SiH4) × 100), on the passivation quality and the properties of silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells. Measurements showed that proper combinations of high P × Di and large P values can yield high minority carrier lifetimes (MCLTs) of passivated silicon wafers. Also, the tendency of MCLTs measured from passivated wafers is the same as that for open circuit voltages (Voc) of fabricated SHJ solar cells. A high Voc is obtained from SHJ solar cells when unwanted epitaxial growth is minimized at the wafer surface.

본 연구는 성인 초기 대학생들의 대학생활적응과 우울의 관계에 대해 살펴보고, 그 과정에서 사회연결망의 조절효과를 검증하였다. 구체적으로, 사회연결망의 기존 측정 방식인 크기나 접촉빈도에서 나아가 질적인 의미를 반영한 ‘친밀연결망’과 ‘상의연결망’ 지표를 탐색하고자 하였다. 이를 위해 대학생 145명을 대상으로 대학생활적응, 우울 척도를 실시하고, 사회연결망을 측정하였다. 그 결과, 대학생활적응은 우울과 부적인 관계를 나타냈고, 대학생활적응과 우울의 관계에서 지인연결망 크기의 조절효과는 유의하지 않았으나 친밀연결망과 상의 연결망의 조절효과는 유의한 것으로 나타났다. 즉, 대학생활에서 부적응을 겪는 학생들에게 친밀감을 느끼고 상의할 수 있는 인적 자원은 우울의 예방적 측면에서 중요한 요인으로 작동하고 있음을 알 수 있다. 본 연구의 결과를 바탕으로 연구의 의의 및 제한점을 검토하고 임상적 시사점을 논의하였다.

This study selects microalgae suitable for the decontamination of radioactive cobalt (Co-60) in radioactive solutions based on the decontamination efficiency of Co-60 and Cs-137 by various microalgae. The biosorption rates of Co-60 in the low-level contaminated water have been measured using three different types of microalgae Haematococcus sp., Vacuoliviride crystalliferum, and Chlorella vulgaris, which are known to uptake Cs-137 and Sr-90 effectively. In the comparative experiments, Haematococcus sp. showed the highest decontamination efficiency within 48 h, and it could be a suitable bio-adsorbent out of three types of microalgae for the removal of Co-60. Haematococcus sp. also removed 88.0% of Cs-137 from contaminated water for 48 h. Our findings indicated that the low-level radioactive solution was decontaminated to a very low-level state through the biosorption process of microalgae.

The fabrication of ultrathin silicon wafers at low cost is crucial for advancing silicon electronics toward stretchability and flexibility. However, conventional fabrication techniques are inefficient because they sacrifice a large amount of substrate material. Thus, advanced silicon electronics that have been realized in laboratories cannot move forward to commercialization. Here, a fully bottom-up technique for producing a self-releasing ultrathin silicon wafer without sacrificing any of the substrate is presented. The key to this approach is a self-organized nanogap on the substrate fabricated by plasma-assisted epitaxial growth (plasma-epi) and subsequent hydrogen annealing. The wafer thickness can be independently controlled during the bulk growth after the formation of plasma-epi seed layer. In addition, semiconductor devices are realized using the ultrathin silicon wafer. Given the high scalability of plasma-epi and its compatibility with conventional semiconductor process, the proposed bottom-up wafer fabrication process will open a new route to developing advanced silicon electronics.

The purpose of the study was to examining the role of new sport program concentration on the development of middle school students’ satisfaction of physical education management and commitment. To achieve the objective of the study 335 samples are collected from the middle schools located in Seoul, South Korea, which provide new sport program in physical education class. The data was analyzed by frequency analysis, independent samples t-test, one-was ANOVA, exploratory factor analysis, multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that cognitive and emotional concentration of new sport program positively influenced on perceived satisfaction of physical education management. Also, cognitive and emotional concentration of new sport program positively influenced on perceived commitment of physical education class. Lastly, perceived satisfaction of physical education management positively influenced on the students’ commitment on the class.

The purpose of this case study is to examine the effects of Korean traditional medicine in the postoperative treatment of proximal humeral fracture. The patient with postoperative pain following proximal humeral fracture surgery was treated with Korean traditional medicine including acupuncture cupping therapy and herbal medicine in hospital for 67 days. The effects of the treatment were evaluated using the Numerical Rate Scale (NRS), Range Of Motion (ROM), and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). As a result of treatment, the NRS score was reduced from 7 to 3, the ROM was improved (on average by 21%), SPADI was reduced from 93 to 25.9. This study proposes that Korean traditional medicine may be effective in postoperative treatment for proximal humeral fracture.

In this study, potential protection of chlorophyll a from illumination and oxidation-induced decomposition has been examined using C-phycocyanin (C-PC) aqueous medium. Photo-oxidation resistance of chlorophyll a was monitored in various aqueous media using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy and direct-infusion atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry analysis. The spectroscopy results showed that chlorophyll a in C-PC medium experienced the lowest rate of conversion to its derivatives, thus, it was demonstrated that chlorophyll a was mostly intact in the C-PC medium. Furthermore, the C-PC treated with chlorophyll a showed the lowest concentrations of malondialdehyde, and chlorophyll a in C-PC medium did not cause serious damage to human liver cells in vitro after intensive illumination. Therefore, we propose a new method of protecting chlorophyll a from photodegradation and oxidation using C-PC aqueous medium.

Purpose Patient-derived tumor xenografts (PDXs) can provide more reliable information about tumor biology than cell line models. We developed PDXs for epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) that have histopathologic and genetic similarities to the primary patient tissues and evaluated their potential for use as a platform for translational EOC research. Materials and methods We successfully established PDXs by subrenal capsule implantation of primary EOC tissues into female BALB/C-nude mice. The rate of successful PDX engraftment was 48.8% (22/45 cases). Hematoxylin and eosin staining and short tandem repeat analysis showed histopathological and genetic similarity between the PDX and primary patient tissues. Results Patients whose tumors were successfully engrafted in mice had significantly inferior overall survival when compared with those whose tumors failed to engraft (p=0.040). In preclinical tests of this model, we found that paclitaxel-carboplatin combination chemotherapy significantly deceased tumor weight in PDXs compared with the control treatment (p=0.013). Moreover, erlotinib treatment significantly decreased tumor weight in epidermal growth factor receptor-overexpressing PDX with clear cell histology (p=0.023). Conclusion PDXs for EOC with histopathological and genetic stability can be efficiently developed by subrenal capsule implantation and have the potential to provide a promising platform for future translational research and precision medicine for EOC.

Introduction: Several studies have found that obesity is associated with atopic dermatitis (AD); however, the mechanisms underlying the association are largely unknown. This study aims to assess the association of AD with obesity in the Korean population and verify its mechanism via a multi-omics analysis. Methods and analysis: A case–control study will be conducted in the Republic of Korea. A total of 80 subjects, aged 4 to 12 years, matched for age and sex, with body mass index at or above the 85th percentile or at or below the 25th percentile, will be included. Subjects will be assigned to the following 4 groups: obese/overweight with AD, normal/underweight with AD, obese/overweight control, and normal/underweight control. Serum metabolome and immune biomarkers, as well as fecal metabolome and microbiome biomarkers, will be analyzed. Serum eosinophil cationic protein, total serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE), and specific IgE will be analyzed to assess allergic tendency. The SCORing of AD index, the children's dermatology life quality index, body composition analysis, and the Korean gastrointestinal symptom rating scale will be obtained to assess the disease status and severity of the subjects. Discussion: The findings of this study are expected to provide evidence of an association between AD and obesity via a gut microbiome-metabolome-immune mechanism. Therefore, it may improve future management strategies for AD. Trial registration: This study has been registered at the Korean National Clinical Trial Registry, Clinical Research Information Service (KCT0003630).

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major pathogen that infects lower respiratory tract and causes a common respiratory disease. Despite serious pathological consequences with this virus, effective treatments for controlling RSV infection remain unsolved, along with poor innate immune responses induced at the initial stage of RSV infection. Such a poor innate defense mechanism against RSV leads us to study the role of alveolar macrophage (AM) that is one of the primary innate immune cell types in the respiratory tract and may contribute to protective responses against RSV infection. As an effective strategy for enhancing anti-viral function of AM, this study suggests the intranasal administration of Bacillus subtilis spore which induces expansion of AM in the lung with activation and enhanced production of inflammatory cytokines along with several genes associated with M1 macrophage differentiation. Such effect by spore on AM was largely dependent on TLR-MyD88 signaling and, most importantly, resulted in a profound reduction of viral titers and pathological lung injury upon RSV infection. Taken together, our results suggest a protective role of AM in RSV infection and its functional modulation by B. subtilis spore, which may be a useful and potential therapeutic approach against RSV.

PURPOSE This study was conducted to investigate whether a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) could enhance chemosensitivity via the inhibition of vacuolar-type H+ ATPase (V-ATPase) in cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS The expression of V-ATPase was evaluated in 351 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human cervical cancer tissues using immunohistochemistry and compared with clinicopathologic risk factors for disease prognosis. The influence of cell proliferation and apoptosis following V-ATPase siRNA transfection or esomeprazole pretreatment was assessed in cervical cancer cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. RESULTS Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that V-ATPase was expressed in about 60% of cervical cancer tissue samples (211/351), and the expression was predominantly found in adenocarcinoma histology (p=0.016). Among patients with initially bulky cervical cancer (n=89), those with V-ATPase expression had shorter disease-free survival (p=0.005) and overall survival (p=0.023). Co-treatment with V-ATPase siRNA or esomeprazole with paclitaxel significantly decreased the cell proliferation of cervical cancer cell lines, including HeLa and INT407, compared to cell lines treated with paclitaxel alone (p < 0.01). Moreover, V-ATPase siRNA or esomeprazole followed by paclitaxel significantly increased the expression of active caspase-3 in these cells compared to cells treated with paclitaxel alone (both, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION V-ATPase was predominantly expressed in cervical adenocarcinoma, and the expression of V-ATPases was associated with poor prognosis. The inhibition of V-ATPase via siRNA or PPI (esomeprazole) might enhance the chemosensitivity of paclitaxel in cervical cancer cells.

································································································································································································································ Purpose: The study was conducted to determine that photoreceptors of mouse having pigment in RPE(retinal pigment epithelium) can be damaged by blue-light and apoptosis of specific cells among photoreceptors are induced by blue-light, and to assist the investigation of AMD(Age-related macular degeneration) mechanisms and development of AMD drugs. Methods: C57Black mice were injured by irradiating 2800±10 lux of 463 nm LED for 6 hours after 24 hours dark adaptation and eyes were enucleated 1, 3, 7 days. Damage of retina induced by blue-light was determined by western blotting GFAP(Glial fibrillary acidic protein) expression. In the light-injured retina, cell death of photoreceptors was determined by TUNEL(Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling) assay. ERK(Extracellular signalregulated kinases), JNK, and SRC(sarcoma) expression were assessed by western blotting to determine regulated pathway. Blue light-injured retina were immunostained with antibodies against Opsin and Rhodopsin as markers of photoreceptors to compared the damage cone cells with rod cells. Results: After 1, 3 and 7 days from exposure to bluelight, thickness of retina was more decreased than control, and more decreased at nuclear layer than at outer plexiform layer and GFAP expression was increased day 1 after blue-light injured. While phosphorylated ERK and SRC protein expressions at day 1 were increased after blue-light injured, phosphorylated c-JUN was decreased. Fluorescence intensity analysis showed that markers of cone and rod cells were decreased after blue-light injured and Opsin was more decreased than Rhodopsin. Conclusions: The study suggests possibilities that the blue-light promotes retinal damage and causes apoptotic cell death via ERK and SRC pathway in mouse retina, and blue-light retinal damage is more induced cone cells apoptosis than rod cells directly.

We studied the effects of precursor gas composition and the addition of dopant gas, PH3, on polycrystalline silicon films deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Spectroscopic ellipsometry measurement and modeling results revealed that the poly-Si films consist of a subsurface layer and a bulk layer. The sample deposited under greater hydrogen dilution exhibited a fully crystallized subsurface layer and a denser bulk layer. We also studied the effects of various dopant gas flow rates on structural and electrical properties of the poly-Si films. Ellipsometry, X-ray diffraction, and Raman analyses revealed that the film deposited using a large dopant-gas flow rate exhibits decreased grain size and increased void fraction. Furthermore, the doped poly-Si films show a trend of Raman peak shift, which was attributed to tensile stress. The stress of the doped poly-Si films increases with higher dopant-gas flow rate. Measurement of the temperature-dependent dark conductivity shows saturation of the electrical conductivity of heavily doped films.

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD, atopic eczema) is a pruritic, inflammatory, chronic skin disease. Since there is limitation of conventional treatment of AD, traditional herbal medicine can be an attractive therapeutic option in patients having AD for a long time. So-Cheong-Ryong-Tang (SCRT) has been found to inhibit histamine release and degranulation of mast cells, differentiation of basophils, and proliferation of eosinophils. We designed this clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of SCRT as compared to placebo in patients with AD and respiratory disorders. Methods/design This study is a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, and investigator-initiated clinical trial. A total of 60 patients between 7 and 65 years of age with AD and respiratory disorders who received a diagnosis of AD by Hanifin and Rajka criteria who scored 15 to 50 in a scoring atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) will be enrolled. Participants will be randomly assigned to the SCRT or placebo group in a ratio of 1:1 and they will have a visit schedule comprising 4 visits including a screening visit during 8 to 10 weeks. The participants will be administered SCRT or placebo 3 times a day for 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be measured by a change of the SCORAD index. The secondary outcomes will be measured by changes in the dose and frequency of usage of the AD ointment, dermatology life quality index scores, pruritus and sleep disorder in visual analog scale, skin moisture content, skin surface temperature, Hamilton anxiety rating scale scores, depression rating scale scores, stress/autonomic nervous function test, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder survey scores at week 4 as compared to those at the baseline. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, SCRT has rarely been reported for dermatologic diseases. This will be the first clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of SCRT in patients with AD and respiratory disorders. We hope that the results of this trial will provide evidence for the use of SCRT as a new treatment for AD with respiratory disorders. Trial registration Korean National Clinical Trial Registry, Clinical Research Information Service. (KCT0004148) (https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/search/search_result_st01_en.jsp?seq=14981&ltype=&rtype=).

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major pathogen that infects lower respiratory tract and causes a common respiratory disease. Despite serious pathological consequences with this virus, effective treatments for controlling RSV infection remain unsolved, along with poor innate immune responses induced at the initial stage of RSV infection. Such a poor innate defense mechanism against RSV leads us to study the role of alveolar macrophage (AM) that is one of the primary innate immune cell types in the respiratory tract and may contribute to protective responses against RSV infection. As an effective strategy for enhancing anti-viral function of AM, this study suggests the intranasal administration of Bacillus subtilis spore which induces expansion of AM in the lung with activation and enhanced production of inflammatory cytokines along with several genes associated with M1 macrophage differentiation. Such effect by spore on AM was largely dependent on TLR-MyD88 signaling and, most importantly, resulted in a profound reduction of viral titers and pathological lung injury upon RSV infection. Taken together, our results suggest a protective role of AM in RSV infection and its functional modulation by B. subtilis spore, which may be a useful and potential therapeutic approach against RSV.

This study was designed to investigate whether proton pump inhibitors (PPI, V-ATPase blocker) could increase the effect of cytotoxic agents in chemoresistant epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Expression of V-ATPase protein was evaluated in patients with EOC using immunohistochemistry, and patient survival was compared based on expression of V-ATPase mRNA from a TCGA data set. In vitro, EOC cell lines were treated with chemotherapeutic agents with or without V-ATPase siRNA or PPI (omeprazole) pretreatment. Cell survival and apoptosis was assessed using MTT assay and ELISA, respectively. In vivo experiments were performed to confirm the synergistic effect with omeprazole and paclitaxel on tumor growth in orthotopic and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models. Expression of V-ATPase protein in ovarian cancer tissues was observed in 44 patients (44/59, 74.6%). Higher expression of V-ATPase mRNA was associated with poorer overall survival in TCGA data. Inhibition of V-ATPase by siRNA or omeprazole significantly increased cytotoxicity or apoptosis to paclitaxel in chemoresistant (HeyA8-MDR, SKOV3-TR) and clear cell carcinoma cells (ES-2, RMG-1), but not in chemosensitive cells (HeyA8, SKOV3ip1). Moreover, the combination of omeprazole and paclitaxel significantly decreased the total tumor weight compared with paclitaxel alone in a chemoresistant EOC animal model and a PDX model of clear cell carcinoma. However, this finding was not observed in chemosensitive EOC animal models. These results show that omeprazole pretreatment can increase the effect of chemotherapeutic agents in chemoresistant EOC and clear cell carcinoma via reduction of the acidic tumor microenvironment.

Objective Chronic excessive food intake leads to energy imbalance, resulting in hepatic steatosis and inflammation. Interleukin-32 (IL-32) is known to be a pro-inflammatory cytokine associated with chronic inflammation and cancer. Therefore, the relationship between IL-32 and chronic excessive food intake-induced liver disease was investigated. Methods Male IL-32β transgenic and wild-type mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 15 weeks. They were compared with wild-type mice on a standard chow diet. Daily food intake, body and liver weight, serum biochemistry, histopathological analysis of the liver, and hepatic immune response were determined. Results IL-32β mice on HFD showed lower lipid accumulation, reduced infiltration of immune cells, and lower production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the liver. The expression of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) was downregulated and the adenosine 50-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) was activated in the liver of IL-32β mice compared to wild-type mice. Furthermore, IL-32β over-expression activated the AMPK pathway and IL-32β downregulation inactivated the AMPK pathway in HepG2 cells under high-glucose conditions. Conclusions These data suggest that IL-32β modulates lipid accumulation through inhibition of PPARγ expression and AMPK activation.

Niemann-Pick C1-Like 1 (NPC1L1) plays an important role in intestinal cholesterol absorption, and is a promising therapeutic target for treatment of hypercholesterolemia. A functional egg yolk powder containing an antibody against NPC1L1 (FEY) was investigated for lowering cholesterol levels in high cholesterol diet induced hypercholesterolemic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (5 weeks old) were fed with control, high cholesterol (HCD), HCD+0.1% FEY, HCD+1% FEY, or HCD+5% FEY diets for 6 weeks. There was no effect of FEY on body weight gain, food intake, or liver, kidney, and spleen weights in hypercholesterolemic rats. FEY lowered total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol serum levels, and the atherogenic index. FEY decreased hepatic cholesterol levels and hepatic lipid accumulation. Fecal cholesterol levels were increased by administration of FEY, which has potential as a cholesterol lowering agent for treatment of hypercholesterolemia.

We study the theoretical and experimental characteristics of thermal transport of 100 nm and 500 nm-thick antimony telluride (Sb 2 Te 3 ) thin films prepared by radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The thermal conductivity was measured at temperatures ranging from 20 to 300 K, using four-point-probe 3- ω method. Out-of-plane thermal conductivity of the Sb 2 Te 3 thin film was much lesser in comparison to the bulk material in the entire temperature range, confirming that the phonon- and electron-boundary scattering are enhanced in thin films. Moreover, we found that the contribution of the electronic thermal conductivity ( κ e ) in total thermal conductivity ( κ ) linearly increased up to ∼77% at 300 K with increasing temperature. We theoretically analyze and explain the high contribution of electronic component of thermal conductivity towards the total thermal conductivity of the film by a modified Callaway model. Further, we find the theoretical model predictions to correspond well with the experimental results.

In the present study, we examined the effects of a mixture of three strains, Lactobacillus plantarum CECT 7527, 7528, and 7529 (L. plantarum mixture), on body weight and lipid metabolism in Sprague-Dawley rats fed a high-fat diet. Rats were fed a high-fat diet and subjected to oral gavage with vehicle or the L. plantarum mixture (0.6×10 9 , 1.2×10 9 , 2.4×10 9 colony-forming units (CFU)/day/rat, respectively) for 8 weeks. In rats fed a high-fat diet, oral administration of 2.4×10 9 CFU/day of the L. plantarum mixture significantly reduced body weight gain as well as weights of liver and epididymal fat. Leptin levels in sera were significantly reduced by oral administration of 2.4×10 9 CFU/day of the L. plantarum mixture. The L. plantarum mixture (1.2×10 9 or 2.4×10 9 CFU/day) also reduced the concentrations of total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol in sera when it administered orally. Further, the L. plantarum mixture significantly reduced the atherogenic index and cardiac risk factor. In addition, oral administration of 2.4×10 9 CFU/day of the L. plantarum mixture markedly reduced levels of total lipids, triglycerides, and total cholesterol in the liver. The results of this study indicate that the L. plantarum mixture may exhibit anti-obesity and cholesterol-lowering effects, which suggest that the L. plantarum mixture has the potential to be a probiotic in the management of obesity and hypercholesterolemia.

The present study investigated the effect of Rubus coreanus Miquel (RCM) on scopolamine-induced memory impairments in ICR mice. Mice were orally administrated RCM for 4 weeks and scopolamine was intraperitoneally injected into mice to induce memory impairment. RCM improved the scopolamine-induced memory impairment in mice. The increase of acetylcholinesterase activity caused by scopolamine was significantly attenuated by RCM treatment. RCM increased the levels of acetylcholine in the brain and serum of mice. The expression of choline acetyltransferase, phospho-cyclic AMP response element-binding protein, and phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase was significantly increased within the brain of mice treated with RCM. The brain antioxidant enzyme activity decreased by scopolamine was increased by RCM. These results demonstrate that RCM exerts a memory-enhancing effect via the improvement of cholinergic function and the potentiated antioxidant activity in memory-impaired mice. The results suggest that RCM may be a useful agent for improving memory impairment.

Escin, a natural mixture of triterpene saponins isolated from horse chestnut, has been reported to possess anticancer activity in many human cancer cells. However, the effect of escin on the metastasis has not been studied. The present study examined the effect of escin on the migration and invasion of AGS human gastric cancer cells. To examine the effects of escin on metastatic capacities of gastric cancer cells, AGS cells were cultured in the presence of 0-4 μmol/L escin. Escin inhibited cell migration and invasion in AGS cells. However, escin did not affect the viability of these cells at these concentrations. The chemokine receptor and its ligands play an important role in cancer metastasis. Escin decreased the production of soluble C-X-C motif chemokine (CXCL)16 but increased the expression of trans-membranous CXCL16. The expression of C-X-C chemokine receptor (CXCR)6 was not affected by escin treatment. Exogenous CXCL16 reversed escin-induced migration inhibition. In addition, escin inhibited the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase and Akt. These results demonstrate that escin inhibited the migration and invasion of AGS cells, which is associated with altered CXCL16/CXCR6 axis. These findings suggest that escin has potential as an antimetastatic agent in gastric cancer.

In human or mouse, mature T cells express either CD4 or CD8, resulting in different functions in the periphery. Interestingly, porcine CD4 and CD8 double positive (DP) T cells are present in the blood, and their proportions change from youth to adulthood. However, the features of these cells in swine are poorly understood. We investigated the fate of porcine peripheral T cells based on their functional characteristics, including proliferation and the expression of CD4 and CD8 co-receptors. The results showed that all the populations changed their CD8 expression in a time-dependent manner and porcine T cells had different proliferative pattern from human T cells. The results further revealed that Th2 cytokines were increased later in porcine T cells compared to human T cells upon stimulation with IL-2 + PMA. Collectively, we found that the fate of porcine peripheral T cells is different from that of human T cells, and the changes occur in a time- and stimulation-dependent manner.