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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine whether osseous tissues engineered in three-dimensional (3D) environments preserved their mineralizing capacity and retained biologic characteristics when cultured on dental implant surfaces. Materials and Methods: Human preosteoblast cells were cultured in both 3D rotary wall vessels and on 2D tissue culture plastic plates for 3 days. Aggregates from the 3D chambers and cells from the 2D plates were collected and transferred to commercially pure titanium disks with either 600-grit polished or sandblasted surfaces. These were cultured for an additional 7 days. The aggregates and cells from the disks were collected and prepared for scanning electron microscopy for microscopic evaluation and atomic adsorption assays for mineral content analysis. Additionally, staining with Alizarin red S was performed to compare the mineralization amount and pattern in each group. Polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed to evaluate expression of osteogenic genes, including Runx2, FAK, bone morphogenetic protein 2, and osteocalcin. Results: Cells from 3D rotary wall vessel cultures attached to implant surfaces and presented cell attachment and growth patterns similar to those of standard 2D cultured cells, showing evidence of radial and random growth, yet they formed multiple focal niches on implant surfaces out of which cells proliferated. The 3D cultured cells and osseous tissues retained higher amounts of mineral formed during the initial culture and showed a higher tendency toward mineralization on implant surfaces compared to standard cultured cells. The 3D cultured cells and osseous tissues on implant surfaces at 1 week showed higher key gene protein expression. RNA expression at 1 week was equivalent to that of standard cultured cells. Conclusion: Culture of human osteogenic cells and tissues in 3D rotary wall vessels may expedite the osseointegration process on dental implant surfaces, thus reducing the overall treatment time. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 2010;25:722-728. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the occurrence of electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities in pediatric patients attending an outpatient psychiatry clinic at a tertiary center. We examined the rates of abnormalities and specific findings based on demographics, specific diagnoses, and clinical severity. Methods: This study included pediatric patients who underwent EEG at the outpatient psychiatry clinic. Patient demographics, psychiatric diagnosis, intellectual disability, intelligent quotient (IQ) score, family history of psychiatric disorders, and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) score were obtained through retrospective electronic health record analysis. The rate of EEG abnormalities was calculated, and specific abnormal findings were reviewed. Relationships between the rate of EEG abnormalities and diagnosis, severity, IQ, and age at EEG examination were analyzed. Results: Of 319 patients who underwent EEG, 21.3% (68 patients) of patients exhibited abnormalities, including background abnormalities (14.7%, 47 patients), interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) (10.3%, 33 patients), and a slow posterior dominant rhythm (3.8%, 10 patients). The frontal region was the most commonly affected area. Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) had the most frequent abnormalities (29.8%), followed by anxiety (16.7%), sleep (14.3%), mood (11.7%), psychotic (5%), and conduct disorders (0%). Disease severity did not correlate with the rate of EEG abnormalities. Adjusted for age, sex, severity, and family history, patients with EEG abnormalities exhibited lower IQ scores. Conclusion: EEG abnormalities were common in pediatric patients with psychiatric disorders, with background abnormalities detected as frequently as IEDs. Disease severity was not associated with EEG abnormality, while IQ scores showed a negative correlation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: While polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) are emerging as potentially significant health threats, linked to cancer and reproductive dysfunction, their precise effects on human health remain largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the underlying mechanisms promoting microplastic-induced damage in the reproductive system., Methods: Thirty C57BL/6 male mice were randomly allocated into six equal-sized groups. Mice were exposed to fluorescent PS-MPs (5 µm, < 18%, green) at a dose of 1 and 3 mg/dL via oral gavage for 28 and 56 days, respectively (control, 0 mg/dL). The presence of antibodies and inflammatory and oxidative stress markers were evaluated using western blotting. Sperm analysis was also performed. Mouse testis Sertoli TM4 cells were divided into two groups: control (medium only) and PS-MPs (medium containing, 1,000 μg/mL) groups and cultured in vitro for 1, 24, 48, or 72 hours. The cells were cultured in a Ham's F12: Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium medium with 0.25% fetal bovine serum at 37°C with humidified atmosphere of 5% carbon dioxide in the air. Protein analyses for interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, NADPH-oxidase (NOX)-2, NOX-4, hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF)-2α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β were performed using western blotting., Results: The testes were evaluated after 28 and 56 days of exposure. Varying sizes of PS-MPs were detected in the testes (ranging from 5.870 to 7.768 µm). Significant differences in sperm concentration, motility, and the proportion of normal sperm were observed between the two groups. An increase in TGF-β, HIF-2α, and NOX-4 levels was observed using western blot analysis. However, no dose-dependent correlations were observed between the two groups. In vitro evaluation of the PS-MPs group displayed PS-MP penetration of the lumen of Sertoli cells after 1 hour. Further PS-MP aggregation within Sertoli cells was observed at 24, 48, and 72 hours. A significant increase in inflammatory protein expressions (IL-10, TGF-β, MCP-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and HIF-2α) was observed through western blotting, although oxidative agents did not show a significant increase., Conclusion: PS-MPs induced reproductive dysfunction in male mice provide new insights into PS-MPs-associated toxicity in mammals., Competing Interests: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (© 2024 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences.)

Engineering vascularized tissues remains a promising approach for treating ischemic cardiovascular diseases. The availability of 3D-bioprinted vascular grafts that induce therapeutic angiogenesis can help avoid necrosis and excision of ischemic tissues. Here, using a combination of living cells and biodegradable hydrogels, we fabricated 3D-printed biocompatible proangiogenic patches from endothelial cell-laden photo-crosslinked gelatin (EC-PCG) bioink and smooth muscle cell-encapsulated polyurethane (SMC-PU) bioink. Implantation of 3D-bioprinted proangiogenic patches in a mouse model showed that EC-PCG served as an angiogenic capillary bed, whereas patterned SMC-PU increased the density of microvessels. Moreover, the assembled patterns between EC-PCG and SMC-PU induced the geometrically guided generation of microvessels with blood perfusion. In a rodent model of hindlimb ischemia, the vascular patches rescued blood flow to distal tissues, prevented toe/foot necrosis, promoted muscle remodeling, and increased the capillary density, thereby improving the heat-escape behavior of ischemic animals. Thus, our 3D-printed vascular cell-laden bioinks constitute efficient and scalable biomaterials that facilitate the engineering of vascular patches capable of directing therapeutic angiogenesis for treating ischemic vascular diseases., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Despite the discovery of several bacteria capable of interacting with polymers, the activity of the natural bacterial isolates is limited. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge regarding the development of bioprocesses for polyethylene (PE) degradation. Here, we report a bioprocess using pseudo-resting cells for efficient degradation of PE. The bacterial strain Acinetobacter nosocomialis was isolated from PE-containing landfills and characterized using low-density PE (LDPE) surface oxidation when incubated with LDPE. We optimized culture conditions to generate catalytic pseudo-resting cells of A. nosocomialis that are capable of degrading LDPE films in a bioreactor. After 28 days of bioreactor operation using pseudo-resting cells of A. nosocomialis, we observed the formation of holes on the PE film (39 holes per 217 cm 2 , a maximum diameter of 1440 μm). This study highlights the potential of bacteria as biocatalysts for the development of PE degradation processes. KEY POINTS: • New bioprocess has been proposed to degrade polyethylene (PE). • Process with pseudo-resting cells results in the formation of holes in PE film. • We demonstrated PE degradation using A. nosocomialis as a biocatalyst., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

A series of successes in RNA interference (RNAi) therapies for liver diseases using lipid nanoparticles and N -acetylgalactosamine have heralded a current era of RNA therapeutics. However, alternative delivery strategies are required to take RNAi out of the comfort zone of hepatocytes. Here we report SIRPα IgV/anti-CD47 siRNA (vS-siCD47) conjugates that selectively and persistently disrupt the antiphagocytic CD47/SIRPα axis in solid tumors. Conjugation of the SIRPα IgV domain protein to siRNAs enables tumor dash through CD47-mediated erythrocyte piggyback, primarily blocking the physical interaction between CD47 on cancer cells and SIRPα on phagocytes. After internalization of the vS-siCD47 conjugates within cancer cells, the detached free-standing anti-CD47 siRNAs subsequently attack CD47 through the RNAi mechanism. The dual-action approach of the vS-siCD47 conjugate effectively overcomes the "don't eat me" barrier and stimulates phagocyte-mediated tumor destruction, demonstrating a highly selective and potent CD47-blocking immunotherapy. This delivery strategy, employing IgV domain protein-siRNA conjugates with a dual mode of target suppression, holds promise for expanding RNAi applications beyond hepatocytes and advancing RNAi-based cancer immunotherapies for solid tumors.

Background/Objectives : This study evaluated the hemostatic performance and safety of ActiClot (ATC), a new flowable hemostatic agent, through in vivo tests. Methods : ATC was compared with the commercially available FLOSEAL ® . ATC consists of carboxymethyl starch, thrombin, and sorbitol powders in Syringe I, and a calcium chloride solution in Syringe II. In vivo evaluation used rat liver bleeding and porcine heart bleeding models. Safety was assessed using a rat subcutaneous implantation model. Results : ATC significantly reduced hemostasis time (70.00 ± 7.35 s) compared to gauze control (240.63 ± 32.31 s) in the rat liver model, showing a 70% reduction. There was no significant difference between ATC and FLOSEAL ® (58.75 ± 13.42 s). In the porcine heart model, both agents achieved 100% hemostasis within 3 min, with no significant difference in success rates within 2 min (ATC 87.5%, FLOSEAL ® 75%). The gauze control group failed in all tests. The rat subcutaneous implantation model showed no visual ATC observation after 48 h, indicating biocompatibility, with no inflammation observed. Conclusions : ATC demonstrated effective hemostatic performance similar to FLOSEAL ® in two in vivo models, with faster hemostasis in the rat liver model. It also showed excellent safety and biocompatibility, indicating its potential for surgical and emergency bleeding control.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GISTs) are mesenchymal tumours that originate from the interstitial cells of Cajal. GISTs are mainly driven by gain-of-function mutations in receptor tyrosine kinase or platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha. Surgical resection is the only curative treatment for localized tumours and all currently approved medical GIST treatments are based on orally available tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Recent discoveries in the molecular and clinical features of GISTs have greatly impacted GIST management. Due to the provincially rather than nationally administered Canadian healthcare system, there have been inconsistencies in the treatment of GISTs across the country. Therefore, guidance on the latest knowledge, clinical management and treatment of GIST is needed to standardize the approach to GIST management nationwide. To establish pan-Canadian guidance, provide up-to-date data and harmonize the clinical practice of GIST management in high- and low-throughput centres across Canada; a panel of 20 physicians with extensive clinical experience in GIST management reviewed relevant literature. This included radiologists, pathologists, interventional radiologists, surgeons and medical oncologists across Canada. The structured literature focused on seven key domains: molecular profiling, radiological techniques/reporting, targeted localized therapy, intricacies of systemic treatments, emerging tests, multidisciplinary care and patient advocacy. This literature review, along with clinical expertise and opinion, was used to develop this concise and clinically relevant consensus paper to harmonize the knowledge and clinical practice on GIST management across Canada. The content presented here will help guide healthcare providers, especially in Canada, in terms of approaching and managing GIST., Competing Interests: Y-J. K. has received honoraria from Medison. C. L. served as an advisory board consultant for Medison. D. L. served as a consultant for Sirtex Medical and Boston Scientific. A. S. served as a consultant/advisor for Knight Therapeutics, Taiho Pharmaceutical and Boehringer Ingelheim. A. S. has received honoraria from Medison and Bayer. A. S. has received honoraria from Medison, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer and Roche. A. A. R. provided research support to Adaptimmune, Bayer, GlaxoSmithKline, Medison, Inhibrx and received research funding from Deciphera, Karyopharm Therapeutics, Pfizer, Roche/Genentech, Bristol Myers Squibb, MedImmune, Amgen, GlaxoSmithKline, Blueprint Medicines, Merck, AbbVie, Adaptimmune, Iterion Therapeutics, Neoleukin Therapeutics, Daiichi Sankyo, Symphogen, Rain Therapeutics and Boehringer Ingelheim. A. A. R. has also provided expert testimony/consulting for Medison and Boehringer Ingelheim., (© The Author(s), 2024.)

1D nanostructures exhibit a large surface area and a short network distance, facilitating electron and ion transport. In this study, a 1D van der Waals material, tin iodide phosphide (SnIP), is synthesized and used as an electrocatalyst for the conversion of CO 2 to formate. The electrochemical treatment of SnIP reconstructs it into a web-like structure, dissolves the I and P components, and increases the number of oxygen vacancies. The resulting oxygen vacancies promote the activity of the CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR), increasing the local pH of the electrode surface and maintaining the oxidative metal site of the catalyst despite the electrochemically reducing environment. This strategy, which stabilizes the oxidation state of the catalyst, also helps to improve the durability of CO 2 RR. In practice, 1D structured SnIP catalyst exhibits outstanding performance with >92% formate faradaic efficiency (FE formate ) at 300 mA cm -2 , a maximum partial current density for formate of 343 mA cm -2 , and excellent long-term stability (>100 h at 100 mA cm -2 with >86% FE formate ). This study introduced a method to easily generate oxygen vacancies on the catalyst surface by utilizing 1D materials and a strategy to improve the durability of CO 2 RR by stabilizing the oxidation state of the catalyst., (© 2024 The Author(s). Small published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Purpose: Conservative treatment remains the standard approach for first-time patellar dislocations. While risk factors for patellofemoral instability, a common paediatric injury, are well-established in adults, data concerning the progression of paediatric recurrent patellar dislocation remain scarce. A reproducible method was developed to quantitatively assess the patellofemoral morphology and anatomic risk factors in paediatric patients using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and machine learning analysis., Methods: Data were analyzed from a retrospective review (2005-2022) of paediatric patients diagnosed with acute lateral patellar dislocation (54 patients) who underwent MRI and were compared with an age-based control group (54 patients). Patellofemoral, tibial, tibiofemoral and patellar height parameters were measured. Differences between groups were analyzed with respect to MRI parameters. The potential diagnostic utility of the parameters was assessed via machine learning and genetic algorithm analyses., Results: Significant differences were observed between the two groups in six patellofemoral morphological parameters. Regarding patellar height morphological parameters, all methods exhibited significant between-group differences. Among the tibia and tibiofemoral morphological parameters, only the tibial tubercle-trochlear groove distance exhibited significant differences between the two groups. No sex-related differences were present. Significant variations were observed in patellar height parameters, particularly in the Koshino-Sugimoto (KS) index, which had the highest area under the curve (AUC: 0.87). Using genetic algorithms and logistic regression, our model excelled with seven key independent variables., Conclusion: KS index and Wiberg index had the strongest association with lateral patellar dislocation. An optimized logistic regression model achieved an AUC of 0.934. Such performance is considered clinically relevant, indicating the model's effectiveness for the intended application., Level of Evidence: Level Ⅲ., (© 2024 European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy.)

Protectins, 10,17-dihydroxydocosahexaenoic acids (10,17-DiHDHAs), are belonged to specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs). Protectins are generated by polymorphonuclear leukocytes in humans and resolve inflammation and infection in trace amounts. However, the quantitative production of protectin DX 10-epimer (10-epi-PDX, 10R,17S-4Z,7Z,11E,13Z,15E,19Z-DiHDHA) has been not attempted to date. In this study, 10-epi-PDX was quantitatively produced from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) by serial whole-cell biotransformation of Escherichia coli expressing arachidonate (ARA) 8R-lipoxygenase (8R-LOX) from the coral Plexaura homomalla and E. coli expressing ARA 15S-LOX from the bacterium Archangium violaceum. The optimal bioconversion conditions to produce 10R-hydroxydocosahexaenoic acid (10R-HDHA) and 10-epi-PDX were pH 8.0, 30 °C, 2.0 mM DHA, and 4.0 g/L cells; and pH 8.5, 20 °C, 1.4 mM 10R-HDHA, and 1.0 g/L cells, respectively. Under these optimized conditions, 2.0 mM (657 mg/L) DHA was converted into 1.2 mM (433 mg/L) 10-epi-PDX via 1.4 mM (482 mg/L) 10R-HDHA by the serial whole-cell biotransformation within 90 min, with a molar conversion of 60% and volumetric productivity of 0.8 mM/h (288 mg/L/h). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative production of 10-epi-PDX. Our results contribute to the efficient biocatalytic synthesis of SPMs., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.)

A targeted metabologenomic method was developed to selectively discover terminal oxazole-bearing natural products from bacteria. For this, genes encoding oxazole cyclase, a key enzyme in terminal oxazole biosynthesis, were chosen as the genomic signature to screen bacterial strains that may produce oxazole-bearing compounds. Sixteen strains were identified from the screening of a bacterial DNA library (1,000 strains) using oxazole cyclase gene-targeting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers. The PCR amplicon sequences were subjected to phylogenetic analysis and classified into nine clades. 1 H- 13 C coupled-HSQC NMR spectra obtained from the culture extracts of the hit strains enabled the unequivocal detection of the target compounds, including five new oxazole compounds, based on the unique 1 J CH values and chemical shifts of oxazole: lenzioxazole (1) possessing an unprecedented cyclopentane, permafroxazole (2) bearing a tetraene conjugated with carboxylic acid, tenebriazine (3) incorporating two modified amino acids, and methyl-oxazolomycins A and B (4 and 5). Tenebriazine displayed inhibitory activity against pathogenic fungi, whereas methyl-oxazolomycins A and B (4 and 5) selectively showed anti-proliferative activity against estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer cells. This metabologenomic method enables the logical and efficient discovery of new microbial natural products with a target structural motif without the need for isotopic labeling., (© 2024 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Porphyrins, phycobilins, and their proteins have abundant π-electrons and strongly absorb visible light, some of which bind a metal ion in the center. Because of the structural and optical properties, they not only play critical roles as an essential component in natural systems but also have attracted much attention as a high value specialty chemical in various fields, including renewable energy, cosmetics, medicines, and foods. However, their commercial application seems to be still limited because the market price of porphyrins and phycobilins is generally expensive to apply them easily. Furthermore, their petroleum-based chemical synthesis is energy-intensive and emits a pollutant. Recently, to replace petroleum-based production, many studies on the bioproduction of metalloporphyrins, including Zn-porphyrin, Co-porphyrin, and heme, porphyrin derivatives including chlorophyll, biliverdin, and phycobilins, and their proteins including hemoproteins, phycobiliproteins, and phytochromes from renewable carbon sources using microbial cell factories have been reported. This review outlines recent advances in the bioproduction of porphyrins, phycobilins, and their proteins using microbial cell factories developed by various microbial biotechnology techniques, provides well-organized information on metabolic regulations of the porphyrin metabolism, and then critically discusses challenges and future perspectives. Through these, it is expected to be able to achieve possible solutions and insights and to develop an outstanding platform to be applied to the industry in future research.

To realize economically feasible electrochemical CO 2 conversion, achieving a high partial current density for value-added products is particularly vital. However, acceleration of the hydrogen evolution reaction due to cathode flooding in a high-current-density region makes this challenging. Herein, we find that partially ligand-derived Ag nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) could prevent electrolyte flooding while maintaining catalytic activity for CO 2 electroreduction. This results in a high Faradaic efficiency for CO (>90%) and high partial current density (298.39 mA cm ‒2 ), even under harsh stability test conditions (3.4 V). The suppressed splitting/detachment of Ag particles, due to the lipid ligand, enhance the uniform hydrophobicity retention of the Ag-NP electrode at high cathodic overpotentials and prevent flooding and current fluctuations. The mass transfer of gaseous CO 2 is maintained in the catalytic region of several hundred nanometers, with the smooth formation of a triple phase boundary, which facilitate the occurrence of CO 2 RR instead of HER. We analyze catalyst degradation and cathode flooding during CO 2 electrolysis through identical-location transmission electron microscopy and operando synchrotron-based X-ray computed tomography. This study develops an efficient strategy for designing active and durable electrocatalysts for CO 2 electrolysis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common toxicity that may impair the quality of life of patients with various malignancies ranging from early to end stages. In light of frequent changes to the guidelines for optimal management of CINV, we undertook this narrative review to compare the most recent guidelines published by ASCO (2020), NCCN (2023), MASCC/ESMO (2023), and CCO (2019). The processes undertaken by each organization to evaluate existing literature were also described. Although ASCO, NCCN, MASCC/ESMO, and CCO guidelines for the treatment and prevention of CINV share many fundamental similarities, the literature surrounding low and minimal emetic risk regimens is lacking. Current data regarding adherence to these guidelines is poor and warrants further investigation to improve care., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

The thermal stability of the in-house-developed foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) type O and A viruses was evaluated, and the O Jincheon virus was found to exhibit the lowest thermal stability. To overcome this instability, we proposed a novel stabilizer, calcium chloride. The thermal stability of FMDVs increased up to a CaCl 2 concentration of 10 mM, and it had a decreasing trend at >30 mM. The O Jincheon virus showed a significant decrease in the amount of antigen over time at 4 °C. In contrast, the samples treated with CaCl 2 showed stable preservation of the virus without significant antigen loss. After the CaCl 2 -formulated vaccine was administered twice to pigs, the virus neutralization titer reached approximately 1:1000, suggesting that the vaccine could protect pigs against the FMDV challenge. In summary, the O Jincheon virus is difficult to utilize as a vaccine given its low stability during storage after antigen production. However, following its treatment with CaCl 2 , it can be easily utilized as a vaccine. This study evaluated CaCl 2 as a novel stabilizer in FMD vaccines and may contribute to the development of stable vaccine formulations, especially for inherently unstable FMDV strains.

Flavobacterium can synthesize xanthophyll, particularly the pigment zeaxanthin, which has significant economic value in nutrition and pharmaceuticals. Recently, the use of carotenoid biosynthesis by bacteria and yeast fermentation technology has shown to be very efficient and offers significant advantages in large-scale production, cost-effectiveness, and safety. In the present study, JSWR-1 strain capable of producing xanthophyll pigment was isolated from a freshwater reservoir in Wanju-gun, Republic of Korea. Based on the morphological, physiological, and molecular characteristics, JSWR-1 classified as belonging to the Flavobacterium species. The bacterium is strictly aerobic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped, and psychrophilic. The completed genome sequence of the strain Flavobacterium sp. JSWR-1 is predicted to be a single circular 3,425,829-bp chromosome with a G+C content of 35.2% and 2,941 protein-coding genes. The optimization of carotenoid production was achieved by small-scale cultivation, resulting in zeaxanthin being identified as the predominant carotenoid pigment. The enhancement of zeaxanthin biosynthesis by applying different light-irradiation, variations in pH and temperature, and adding carbon and nitrogen supplies to the growth medium. A significant increase in intracellular zeaxanthin concentrations was also recorded during fed-batch fermentation achieving a maximum of 16.69 ± 0.71 mg/l, corresponding to a product yield of 4.05 ± 0.15 mg zeaxanthin per gram cell dry weight. Batch and fed-batch culture extracts exhibit significant antioxidant activity. The results demonstrated that the JSWR-1 strain can potentially serve as a source for zeaxanthin biosynthesis.

Since the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in South Korea in 2010-2011, vaccination policies utilizing inactivated FMD vaccines composed of types O and A have been implemented nationwide. However, because type Asia1 occurred in North Korea in 2007 and intermittently in neighboring countries, the risk of type Asia1 introduction cannot be ruled out. This study evaluated the antigen yield and viral inactivation kinetics of the recombinant Asia1 Shamir vaccine strain (Asia1 Shamir-R). When Asia1 Shamir-R was proliferated in shaking flasks (1 L), a 2 L bioreactor (1 L), and a wave bioreactor (25 L), the antigen yields were 7.5 μg/mL, 5.2 μg/mL, and 3.8 μg/mL, respectively. The optimal FMDV inactivation conditions were 2 mM BEI at 26 °C and 1.0 mM BEI at 37 °C. There was no antigen loss due to BEI treatment, and only a decrease in antigen levels was observed during storage. The sera from pigs immunized with antigen derived from a bioreactor exhibited a neutralizing antibody titer of approximately 1/1000 against Asia1 Shamir and Asia1/MOG/05 viruses; therefore, Asia1 Shamir-R is expected to provide sufficient protection against both viruses. If an FMD vaccine production facility is established, this Asia1 Shamir-R can be employed for domestic antigen banks in South Korea.

Salix chaenomeloides Kimura, commonly known as pussy willow, is a deciduous shrub and tree belonging to the Salicaceae family. The genus Salix spp. has been known as a healing herb for the treatment of fever, inflammation, and pain relief. The current study aimed to investigate the potential bioactive natural products from S. chaenomeloides leaves and evaluate their antibacterial activity against Helicobacter pylori . A phytochemical investigation of the ethanol (EtOH) extract of S. chaenomeloides leaves led to the isolation of 13 phenolic compounds ( 1 - 13 ) from the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fraction, which showed antibacterial activity against H. pylori strain 51. The chemical structure of a new phenolic glycoside, chaenomelin ( 1 ), was established by a detailed analysis of 1D and 2D ( 1 H- 1 H correlation spectroscopy (COSY), heteronuclear single-quantum coherence (HSQC), and heteronuclear multiple-bond correlation (HMBC)) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HR-ESIMS), and chemical reactions. The other known compounds were identified as 5- O - trans-p- coumaroyl quinic acid methyl ester ( 2 ), tremulacin ( 3 ), citrusin C ( 4 ), benzyl 3- O - β -d-glucopyranosyl-7-hydroxybenzoate ( 5 ), tremuloidin ( 6 ), 1-[ O - β -d-glucopyranosyl(1→2)- β -d-glucopyranosyl]oxy-2-phenol ( 7 ), arbutin cinnamate ( 8 ), tremulacinol ( 9 ), catechol ( 10 ), 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde ( 11 ), kaempferol 3-rutinoside ( 12 ), and narcissin ( 13 ), based on the comparison of their NMR spectra with the reported data and liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) analysis. The isolated compounds were evaluated for antibacterial activity against H. pylori strain 51. Among the isolates, 1-[ O - β -d-glucopyranosyl(1→2)- β -d-glucopyranosyl]oxy-2-phenol ( 7 ) and arbutin cinnamate ( 8 ) exhibited antibacterial activity against H. pylori strain 51, with inhibitions of 31.4% and 33.9%, respectively, at a final concentration of 100 μM. These results were comparable to that of quercetin (38.4% inhibition), which served as a positive control. Generally, these findings highlight the potential of the active compounds 7 and 8 as antibacterial agents against H. pylori .

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral infection causing acute and severe vesicular lesions in cattle and pigs, which has prompted global vaccination policies. This study presents a technique for enhancing antigen yield in SAT1 BOT and SAT3 ZIM by treatment with calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ). We tested changes in cell viability in BHK-21 suspension cells treated with varying concentrations of CaCl 2 . The optimal CaCl 2 concentration was determined based on antigen yield. The timing of CaCl 2 supplementation relative to FMD virus inoculation was tested. Finally, the optimal medium for antigen production was identified. We observed a concentration-dependent decrease in BHK-21 cell viability at >7.5 mM CaCl 2 . A CaCl 2 concentration of 3 mM yielded the most antigens. CaCl 2 supplementation relative to FMD virus infection was optimal 2 h before or with viral inoculation. CD-BHK 21 medium supplemented with CaCl 2 was the most productive medium. Specifically, SAT1 BOT and SAT3 ZIM showed improved antigen production in CD-BHK 21 medium with 3 mM CaCl 2 , while Provero-1 and Cellvento BHK-200 media showed no significant enhancement. Overall, CaCl 2 supplementation enhanced FMD antigen productivity. This study provides a useful framework for enhancing antigen production efficiently in the FMD vaccine industry., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

South Korea has experienced outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) of serotypes O and A, leading to nationwide vaccination with a bivalent vaccine. Since the FMD virus (FMDV) Asia1 group-V genotype occurred in North Korea in 2007, an Asia1/MOG/05 vaccine strain belonging to the Asia1 group-V genotype was developed using a genetic recombination method (Asia1/MOG/05-R). This study aimed to evaluate the antigen productivity and viral inactivation kinetics of Asia1/MOG/05-R to assess its commercial viability. The antigen yield of Asia1/MOG/05-R produced in flasks and bioreactors was approximately 4.0 μg/mL. Binary ethylenimine (BEI) inactivation kinetics of Asia1/MOG/05-R showed that 2 mM and 1.0 mM BEI treatment at 26 °C and 37 °C, respectively, resulted in a virus titer <10 -7 TCID 50 /mL within 24 h, meeting the inactivation kinetics criteria. During incubation at 26 °C and 37 °C, 10% antigen loss occurred, but not due to BEI treatment. When pigs were inoculated twice with the Asia1/MOG/05-R antigen, the virus neutralization titer increased to approximately 1:1000; therefore, it can sufficiently protect against Asia1/MOG/05-R and Asia1 Shamir viruses. The Asia1/MOG/05-R will be useful as a vaccine strain for domestic antigen banks.

Abstract: Severe acute and chronic pain are the most common complications of sickle cell disease (SCD). Pain results in disability, psychosocial distress, repeated clinic visits/hospitalizations, and significant healthcare costs. Psychosocial pain interventions that teach cognitive and behavioral strategies for managing pain have been effective in other adolescent populations when delivered in person or through digital technologies. Our aim was to conduct a multisite, randomized, controlled trial to improve pain and coping in youth aged 12 to 18 years with SCD using a digital cognitive-behavioral therapy program (iCanCope with Sickle Cell Disease; iCC-SCD) vs Education control. We enrolled 137 participants (ages 12-18 years, 59% female) and analyzed 111 adolescents (107 caregivers), 54 randomized to Education control and 57 randomized to iCC-SCD. Ninety-two percent of youth completed posttreatment assessments and 88% completed 6-month follow-up. There was a significant effect of treatment group (iCC-SCD vs Education) on reduction in average pain intensity from baseline to 6-month follow-up (b = -1.32, P = 0.009, 95% CI [-2.29, -0.34], d = 0.50), and for the number of days with pain, adolescents in the iCC-SCD group demonstrated fewer pain days compared with the Education group at 6-month follow-up (incident rate ratio = 0.63, P = 0.006, 95% CI [0.30, 0.95], d = 0.53). Treatment effects were also found for coping attempts, momentary mood, and fatigue. Several secondary outcomes did not change with intervention, including anxiety, depression, pain interference, and global impression of change. Future studies are needed to identify effective implementation strategies to bring evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for sickle cell pain to SCD clinics and communities., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the International Association for the Study of Pain.)

The binding between receptor‑activated nuclear factor‑κB (RANK) and the RANK ligand (RANKL) during osteoclast development is an important target for drugs that treat osteoporosis. The leucine‑rich repeat‑containing G‑protein‑coupled receptor 4 (LGR4) acts as a negative regulator of RANK‑RANKL that suppresses canonical RANK signaling during osteoclast differentiation. Therefore, LGR4 agonists may be useful in inhibiting osteoclastogenesis and effectively treating osteoporosis. In the present study, bone marrow‑derived macrophages and a mouse model of RANKL‑induced bone loss were used to investigate the effect of mutant RANKL (MT RANKL), which was previously developed based on the crystal structure of the RANKL complex. In the present study, the binding affinity of wild‑type (WT) RANKL and MT RANKL to RANK and LGR4 was determined using microscale thermophoresis analysis, and the effect of the ligands on the AKT‑glycogen synthase kinase‑3β (GSK‑3β)‑nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic, calcineurin‑dependent 1 (NFATc1) signaling cascade was investigated using western blotting and confocal microscopy. In addition, the expression of LGR4 and the colocalization of LGR4 with MT RANKL were analyzed in a mouse model of RANKL‑induced bone loss. The results showed that in osteoclast precursor cells, MT RANKL bound with high affinity to LGR4 and increased GSK‑3β phosphorylation independently of AKT, resulting in the inhibition of NFATc1 nuclear translocation. In the mouse model, MT RANKL colocalized with LGR4 and inhibited bone resorption. These results indicated that MT RANKL may inhibit RANKL‑induced osteoclastogenesis through an LGR4‑dependent pathway and this could be exploited to develop new therapies for osteoporosis.

Enteromyxum leei and Enteromyxum fugu, which are myxosporean parasites, were first found in cultured tiger puffer Takifugu rubripes in Korea. We collected four tiger puffers that showed severe emaciation signs for our experiments. DNA sequencing was confirmed that the tiger puffers were coinfected with E. leei and E. fugu. Furthermore, similar amounts of E. leei and E. fugu were confirmed using real-time PCR in the intestine. To the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports of E. fugu infection in the olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. However, the diagnosis of inflowing water, discharged water and olive flounder samples using highly sensitive diagnostic methods confirmed the presence of E. fugu in water and fish samples from olive flounder farms near the tiger puffer farm. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop highly sensitive diagnostic methods such as real-time and two-step PCR for early diagnosis and follow-up of the emaciation disease and multiplex PCR for rapid diagnosis. The multiplex PCR method exhibited the same sensitivity as the one-step PCR method developed in this study, demonstrating its efficacy for rapid diagnosis. Therefore, the suggested methods can be utilized for the early diagnosis and rapid diagnosis of emaciation diseases and reduction of economic losses through rapid disease control., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This work shows that hollow Ru/RuO 2 nanoparticles having nanoparticulate shells (HN-Ru/RuO 2 ) can be prepared using hollow microporous organic polymers with Ru species (H-MOP-Ru) as precursors. Using silica spheres as templates, H-MOPs were prepared through the Sonogashira-Hagihara coupling of 1,3,5-triethynylbenzene with 2,3-ethoxymethylenedioxy-1,4-diiodobenzene. Acid hydrolysis of cyclic ethyl orthoformate protecting groups generated catechol moieties to form H-MOP-Cat. Then, H-MOP-Ru was obtained by incorporating Ru species into H-MOP-Cat. Heat-treatment of H-MOP-Ru under air induced the formation of HN-Ru/RuO 2 with a diameter of 61 nm and shells consisting of 6-7 nm nanoparticles. Due to the hollow structure and nanoparticulate shells, HN-Ru/RuO 2 showed a high surface area of 80 m 2 g -1 and a pore volume of 0.18 cm 3 g -1 . The HN-Ru/RuO 2 showed enhanced electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with an overpotential of 295 mV @ 10 mA cm -2 and a Tafel slope of 46 mV dec -1 in alkaline electrolyte, compared with control RuO 2 such as commercial Ru/RuO 2 nanoparticles (A-Ru/RuO 2 ) and home-made Ru/RuO 2 nanoparticles (N-Ru/RuO 2 ) prepared via the same synthetic procedure as HN-Ru/RuO 2 . While HN-Ru/RuO 2 inevitably contained Pd originated from coupling catalysts, it showed superior performance to Ru/RuO 2 nanoparticles with the same Pd content (N1-Ru/RuO 2 ), indicating that the efficient electrocatalytic performance of HN-Ru/RuO 2 is attributable to its hollow structure and nanoparticulate shells., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

Objective: To locate the intramuscular nerve branches of the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) and determine the accurate site for botulinum toxin injection., Design: This study anatomically dissected 24 arms of 12 fresh adult cadavers to find intramuscular nerve endings in the FDS. The motor branch points (MBPs), proximal limit points (PLPs), and distal limit points (DLPs) of the terminal intramuscular nerve endings were identified. These three parameters were expressed in longitudinal and transverse coordinates in relation to the FDS driving as a reference line., Results: The mean length of the reference line was 234.6 ± 11.2 mm. In the longitudinal coordinate, the MBPs, PLPs, and DLPs were located at 41.6% (standard deviation (SD) 2.6%), 35.1% (SD 4.1%), and 53.4% (SD 4.6%) of the reference line in the first main branch and 72.4% (SD 4.5%), 67.5% (SD 1.5%), and 82.0% (SD 5.7%) in the second main branch, respectively. The mean value of the transverse coordinate was not greatly deviated from the reference line., Conclusion: The MBPs of the first and second main branches are located approximately 41.6% and 72.4% of the reference line, which considers the FDS direction, respectively. This finding helps determine the optimal injection site for botulinum toxin in the FDS., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.)

Jatropha podagrica holds a longstanding place in traditional herbal medicine, primarily utilized for addressing skin infections, acting as antipyretics, diuretics, and purgatives. In this study, our primary objective was to investigate the secondary metabolites present in J. podagrica leaves, with the aim of pinpointing natural compounds exhibiting potential antiviral activities. Five secondary metabolites ( 1 - 5 ), including an auronol glycoside ( 1 ), two coumarins ( 2 and 3 ), a chromane ( 4 ) and a gallotannin ( 5 ), were isolated from J. podagrica leaves. Compound 1 presented as an amalgamation of unseparated mixtures, yet its intricate composition was adroitly unraveled through the strategic deployment of a chiral HPLC column. This tactic yielded the isolation of epimers (+)- 1 and (-)- 1 , ascertained as unreported auronol glycosides. The structures of these novel compounds, (+)- 1 and (-)- 1 , were elucidated to be (2 S )-hovetrichoside C [(+)- 1 ] and (2 R )-hovetrichoside C [(-)- 1 ] through NMR data and HR-ESIMS analyses, enzymatic hydrolysis, and comparison of optical rotation values. Cytotoxicity and antiviral effects were assessed for the isolated compounds ((+)- 1 , (-)- 1 and 2 - 5 ), along with compound 1a (the aglycone of 1 ), in the A549 human alveolar basal epithelial cell line. Each compound demonstrated a cell viability of approximately 80% or higher, confirming their non-toxic nature. In the group of compounds, compounds 3-5 demonstrated antiviral effects based on RT-qPCR results, with individual enhancements ranging from approximately 28 to 38%. Remarkably, compound 4 exhibited the most substantial antiviral effect. Utilization of compound 4 to assess immune boosting and anti-inflammatory effects revealed increased levels of STING, RIG-I, NLRP3, and IL-10 along with a decrease in TNF-α and IL-6. Therefore, these findings underscore the potential of these active compounds 3 - 5 not only as therapeutic agents for SARS-CoV-2 but also as new contenders for upcoming pandemics.

We search for energetic electron recoil signals induced by boosted dark matter (BDM) from the galactic center using the COSINE-100 array of NaI(Tl) crystal detectors at the Yangyang Underground Laboratory. The signal would be an excess of events with energies above 4 MeV over the well-understood background. Because no excess of events are observed in a 97.7  kg·yr exposure, we set limits on BDM interactions under a variety of hypotheses. Notably, we explored the dark photon parameter space, leading to competitive limits compared to direct dark photon search experiments, particularly for dark photon masses below 4 MeV and considering the invisible decay mode. Furthermore, by comparing our results with a previous BDM search conducted by the Super-Kamionkande experiment, we found that the COSINE-100 detector has advantages in searching for low-mass dark matter. This analysis demonstrates the potential of the COSINE-100 detector to search for MeV electron recoil signals produced by the dark sector particle interactions.

Clinical practice is an important educational tool for nursing students, and their emotions during clinical practice should be accurately understood. This study aimed to develop and verify the validity and reliability of a clinical practicum transition shock scale (CPT-shock) to measure Korean nursing students' emotional responses when transitioning from a theoretical learning process to clinical practice. This research design was a methodological study and the content, construct, criterion validity, and reliability of the items were verified. Content validity was evaluated by seven experts. The preliminary survey was conducted on 24 nursing students, and the factor analysis was conducted on 331 nursing students in various regions of Korea. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the model fit (χ 2 /df = 1.741, GFI = 0.930, AGFI = 0.902, NFI = 0.869, TLI = 0.923, CFI = 0.938, RMR = 0.035, RMSEA = 0.047) and established discrimination and convergence validity. Positive and negative correlations were found with existing transition shock (r = 0.779) and clinical practice adaptation (r = -0.505), respectively ( p < 0.001), thus establishing criterion validity. The reliability was good, with a Cronbach's α of 0.85. The clinical practicum transition shock scale reflects nursing students' practice environment and is expected to accurately measure nursing students' unique emotional shock.

A targeted and logical discovery method was devised for natural products containing piperazic acid (Piz), which is biosynthesized from ornithine by l-ornithine N -hydroxylase (KtzI) and N - N bond formation enzyme (KtzT). Genomic signature-based screening of a bacterial DNA library (2020 strains) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers targeting ktzT identified 62 strains (3.1%). The PCR amplicons of KtzT-encoding genes were phylogenetically analyzed to classify the 23 clades into two monophyletic groups, I and II. Cultivating hit strains in media supplemented with 15 NH 4 Cl and applying 1 H- 15 N heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC) along with 1 H- 15 N heteronuclear single quantum coherence (HSQC) and 1 H- 15 N HSQC-total correlation spectroscopy (HSQC-TOCSY) NMR experiments detected the spectroscopic signatures of Piz and modified Piz. Chemical investigation of the hit strains prioritized by genomic and spectroscopic signatures led to the identification of a new azinothricin congener, polyoxyperuin B seco acid ( 1 ), previously reported chloptosin ( 2 ) in group I, depsidomycin D ( 3 ) incorporating two dehydropiperazic acids (Dpz), and lenziamides A and B ( 4 and 5 ), structurally novel 31-membered cyclic decapeptides in group II. By consolidating the phylogenetic and chemical analyses, clade-structure relationships were elucidated for 19 of the 23 clades. Lenziamide A ( 4 ) inhibited STAT3 activation and induced G 2 /M cell cycle arrest, apoptotic cell death, and tumor growth suppression in human colorectal cancer cells. Moreover, lenziamide A ( 4 ) resensitized 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) activity in both in vitro cell cultures and the in vivo 5-FU-resistant tumor xenograft mouse model. This work demonstrates that the genomic and spectroscopic signature-based searches provide an efficient and general strategy for new bioactive natural products containing specific structural motifs.

Biosurfactants reduce surface and interfacial tension due to their amphiphilic properties and are an eco-friendly alternative for chemical surfactants. In this study, a new yeast strain JAF-11 that produces a biosurfactant was selected using drop collapse method, and the properties of the extracts were investigated. The nucleotide sequences of the strain were compared with closely related strains and identified based on the D1/D2 domain of the large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU) and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions. Neodothiora populina CPC 39399 T , the closest species with strain JAF-11, showed a sequence similarity of 97.75% for LSU and 94.27% for ITS, respectively. The result suggests that the strain JAF-11 represents a distinct species that cannot be assigned to any existing genus or species in the family Dothideaceae . Strain JAF-11 produced a biosurfactant reducing the surface tension of water from 72 mN/m to 34.5 mN/m on the sixth day of culture and the result of measuring the critical micelle concentration (CMC) by extracting the crude biosurfactant was found to be 24 mg/l. The molecular weight 502 of the purified biosurfactant was confirmed by measuring the fast atom bombardment mass spectrum. The chemical structure was analyzed by measuring 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), 13 C NMR, and two-dimensional NMRs of the compound. The molecular formula was C 26 H 46 O 9 , and it was composed of one octanoyl group and two hexanoyl groups to myo-inositol moiety. The new biosurfactant is the first report of a compound produced by a new yeast strain, JAF-11.

Objective: Although pediatric epilepsy is an independent disease entity, it is often observed in pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) as a major or minor clinical feature, which might provide diagnostic clues. This study aimed to identify the clinical and genetic characteristics of patients with epilepsy in an NDD cohort and demonstrate the importance of genetic testing., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the detailed clinical differences of pediatric NDD patients with epilepsy according to their genetic etiology. Among 1,213 patients with NDDs, 477 were genetically diagnosed by exome sequencing, and 168 had epilepsy and causative variants in 129 genes. Causative genes were classified into two groups: (i) the "epilepsy-genes" group resulting in epilepsy as the main phenotype listed in OMIM, Epi25, and ClinGen (67 patients) and (ii) the "NDD-genes" group not included in the "epilepsy-genes" group (101 patients)., Results: Patients in the "epilepsy-genes" group started having seizures, often characterized by epilepsy syndrome, at a younger age. However, overall clinical features, including treatment responses and all neurologic manifestations, showed no significant differences between the two groups. Gene ontology analysis revealed the close interactions of epilepsy genes associated with ion channels and neurotransmitters., Conclusion: We demonstrated a similar clinical presentation of different gene groups regarding biological/molecular processes in a large NDDs cohort with epilepsy. Phenotype-driven genetic analysis should cover a broad scope, and further studies are required to elucidate integrated pathomechanisms., 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 © 2023 Ko, Kim, Lee, Yoon, Kim, Jun, Kim, Chae, Kim, Kim and Lim.)

Introduction: With the availability of retrospective pharmacovigilance data, the common data model (CDM) has been identified as an efficient approach towards anonymized multicenter analysis; however, the establishment of a suitable model for individual medical systems and applications supporting their analysis is a challenge., Objective: The aim of this study was to construct a specialized Korean CDM (K-CDM) for pharmacovigilance systems based on a clinical scenario to detect adverse drug reactions (ADRs)., Methods: De-identified patient records (n = 5,402,129) from 13 institutions were converted to the K-CDM. From 2005 to 2017, 37,698,535 visits, 39,910,849 conditions, 259,594,727 drug exposures, and 30,176,929 procedures were recorded. The K-CDM, which comprises three layers, is compatible with existing models and is potentially adaptable to extended clinical research. Local codes for electronic medical records (EMRs), including diagnosis, drug prescriptions, and procedures, were mapped using standard vocabulary. Distributed queries based on clinical scenarios were developed and applied to K-CDM through decentralized or distributed networks., Results: Meta-analysis of drug relative risk ratios from ten institutions revealed that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increased the risk of gastrointestinal hemorrhage by twofold compared with aspirin, and non-vitamin K anticoagulants decreased cerebrovascular bleeding risk by 0.18-fold compared with warfarin., Conclusion: These results are similar to those from previous studies and are conducive for new research, thereby demonstrating the feasibility of K-CDM for pharmacovigilance. However, the low quality of original EMR data, incomplete mapping, and heterogeneity between institutions reduced the validity of the analysis, thus necessitating continuous calibration among researchers, clinicians, and the government., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly infectious disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals and causes significant economic losses to the livestock industry. The Type O PanAsia-2 (O PA-2) vaccine strain is protective against a wide range of serotype O FMD virus (FMDV) strains in East Asia, and A22 Iraq/24/64 (A22 IRQ) is the most widely used vaccine strain in FMD vaccine antigen banks. The aim of this study was to produce antigens from O PA-2 and A22 IRQ viruses using a 100 L bioreactor and evaluate the protective efficacy of varying antigen concentrations in pigs. More than 2 μg/mL of the antigen was recovered from the O PA-2 and A22 IRQ virus-infected supernatants. Further, inactivation of O PA-2 and A22 IRQ by binary ethyleneimine revealed that the viral titers decreased below 10 -7 TCID 50 /mL within 13 h and 9 h, respectively. The O PA-2 and A22 IRQ vaccines, containing 10 μg and 5 μg of antigen, respectively, provided protection against homologous viruses in pigs. This is the first report demonstrating that the antigens obtained from the pilot-scale production of O PA-2 and A22 IRQ are viable candidate vaccines. These results will pave the way for industrial-scale FMD vaccine production in South Korea.

We designed and constructed a whole-cell biosensor capable of detecting the presence and quantity of carbon monoxide (CO) using the CO regulatory transcription factor. This biosensor utilizes CooA, a CO-sensing transcription regulator that activates the expression of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH), to detect the presence of CO and respond by triggering the expression of a GUS reporter protein (β-glucuronidase). The GUS reporter protein is expressed from a CO-induced CooA-binding promoter (P cooF ) by CooA and enables the effective colorimetric detection of CO. An Escherichia coli strain used to validate the biosensor showed growth and GUS activity under anaerobic conditions; this study used the inert gas (Ar) to create anaerobic conditions. The pBRCO biosensor could successfully detect the presence of CO in the headspace. Moreover, the GUS-specific activity of pBRCO according to the CO strength as partial pressure followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics ( R 2  = 0.98). It was confirmed that the GUS-specific activity of pBRCO increased linearly up to 30.39 kPa ( R 2  = 0.98), and thus, a quantitative analysis of CO concentration ( i.e ., partial pressure) was possible., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: Most commercial foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines have various disadvantages, such as low antibody titers, short-lived effects, compromised host defense, and questionable safety., Objectives: To address these shortcomings, we present a novel FMD vaccine containing Dectin-1 agonist, β-D-glucan, as an immunomodulatory adjuvant. The proposed vaccine was developed to effectively coordinate innate and adaptive immunity for potent host defense against viral infection., Methods: We demonstrated β-D-glucan mediated innate and adaptive immune responses in mice and pigs in vitro and in vivo . The expressions of pattern recognition receptors, cytokines, transcription factors, and co-stimulatory molecules were promoted via FMD vaccine containing β-D-glucan., Results: β-D-glucan elicited a robust cellular immune response and early, mid-, and long-term immunity. Moreover, it exhibited potent host defense by modulating host's innate and adaptive immunity., Conclusion: Our study provides a promising approach to overcoming the limitations of conventional FMD vaccines. Based on the proposed vaccine's safety and efficacy, it represents a breakthrough among next-generation FMD vaccines., 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 © 2023 Kim, Ko, Park, Hwang, Kim, Park, Ko, Kim, Park and Lee.)