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Abstract Recycling oyster shells—an abundant industrial waste—is essential to reduce marine pollution. Indirect carbonation is promising; however, is cost-prohibitive. This study is a pioneering endeavor to merge indirect carbonation and probiotic encapsulation technologies using oyster shells. Probiotics were encapsulated in the CaCO3 produced through indirect carbonation with oyster shells, and the performance was evaluated. Confocal laser scanning microscopy certified the survival of a substantial proportion of the encased probiotics. Importantly, the majority of the enveloped probiotics demonstrated robust survivability while passing through gastrointestinal and bile fluids. These findings underscore the applicability of oyster shells as an optimal precursor for probiotic encapsulation which is eco-friendly and addresses the challenges faced in industrial waste recycling. This novel approach overcomes the economic limitations associated with indirect carbonation and mitigates the shortcomings of existing probiotic encapsulation methods. Convergence of indirect carbonation and probiotic encapsulation technologies can chart new routes for the environmental sector.

Abstract Indirect carbonation, a technology to store CO2 and produce stable CaCO3 and MgCO3, involves elution of Ca and Mg from industrial waste and subsequent carbonation. Although substantial residual waste is generated after the elution of Ca and Mg, its recycling attributes have not been adequately scrutinized. The residual waste has lower Ca and Mg contents and higher Si and Al contents than those of the raw material (i.e., industrial waste). This study involves the hydrothermal synthesis of zeolite-P using residual waste from indirect carbonation, conducted at both 100 and 180 ℃. The properties of these zeolites are compared with those synthesized from coal fly ash (CFA). The synthesized zeolites were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, thermogravimetric analyzer, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET). A high zeolite conversion efficiency was achieved through a hydrothermal reaction (up to 87%), even though Si and Al were not added to the residual waste. Additionally, the cation exchange capacity and BET specific surface area of the synthesized zeolites were high (200 cmol kg−1 and 73 m2 g−1, respectively). These findings highlight the possibility of synthesizing zeolites using the residual waste from indirect carbonation as an alternative to conventional zeolite synthesis using industrial waste such as CFA. The synthesized zeolite-P is expected to be effective in wastewater treatment, detergent manufacturing, and water softening.

Viperin is a prominent antiviral protein found in animals. The primary function of Viperin is the production of 3’-deoxy-3’,4’-didehydro-cytidine triphosphate (ddhCTP), an inhibitory nucleotide involved in viral RNA synthesis. Studies in mammalian models have suggested that ddhCTP interferes with metabolic proteins. However, this hypothesis has yet to be tested in teleost. In this study, the role of Viperin in regulating metabolic alterations during viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) infection was tested. When infected with VHSV, viperin-/- fish showed considerably higher mortality rates. VHSV copy number and the expression of the NP gene were significantly increased in viperin-/- fish. Metabolic gene analysis revealed significant differences in soda, hif1a, fasn, and acc expression, indicating their impact on metabolism. Cholesterol analysis in zebrafish larvae during VHSV infection showed significant upregulation of cholesterol production without Viperin. In vitro analysis of ZF4 cells suggested a considerable reduction in lipid production and a significant upregulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation with the overexpression of viperin. Neutrophil and macrophage recruitment were significantly modulated in viperin-/- fish compared to the wild-type (WT) fish. Thus, we have demonstrated that Viperin plays a role in interfering with metabolic alterations during VHSV infection.

Nanosized vaterite, which exhibits characteristics such as high specific surface area, porosity, and biocompatibility, has attracted research attention for use as a drug delivery material. However, fatal drawbacks such as high costs, difficulty in mass production, and toxicity exist in conventional nanosized vaterite production owing to the use of a large amount of organic solvents to forcibly suppress the vaterite recrystallization and particle growth. Therefore, nanosized 100 % vaterite was produced in this study via indirect carbonation without using any organic solvent, which has rarely been achieved previously. Seawater, sucrose, ultrasonication, and aging—which facilitate vaterite production and particle size reduction—exhibited a synergistic effect in producing vaterite. To realize nanosized vaterite production via indirect carbonation, seawater was used as a solvent, sucrose was added when Ca was eluted, and CO2 bubbling was performed under ultrasonication. Furthermore, the CaCO3-containing suspension obtained after the carbonation was aged. Ultrasonic waves were required to generate nanosized vaterite and reducing size at the carbonation stage. This nanosized-vaterite-production strategy involving organic-solvent-free indirect carbonation is meaningful, in that it highlights the potential of synthesizing vaterite in an economically sound, environmentally friendly manner for use as a pharmaceutical raw material.

A low soybean self-sufficiency rate in South Korea has caused a high import dependence and considerable price variation between domestic and foreign soybeans, causing the false labeling of foreign soybeans as domestic. Conventional soybean origin discrimination methods prevent a single-grain analysis and rely on the presence or absence of several compounds or concentration differences. This limits the origin discrimination of mixed samples, demonstrating the need for a method that analyzes individual grains. Therefore, we developed a method for origin discrimination using genetic analysis. The whole-genome sequencing data of the Williams 82 reference cultivar and 15 soybean varieties cultivated in South Korea were analyzed to identify the dense variation blocks (dVBs) with a high single-nucleotide polymorphism density. The PCR primers were prepared and validated for the insertion–deletion (InDel) sequences of the dVBs to discriminate each soybean variety. Our method effectively discriminated domestic and foreign soybean varieties, eliminating their false labeling.

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is an adapter protein that is activated when cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) are present. CDNs originate from the cytosolic DNA of both pathogens and hosts. STING activation promotes efficient immune responses against viral infections; however, its impact in bacterial infections is unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of Sting in bacterial infections by successfully creating a sting-deficient (sting(−/−) with a 4-bp deletion) knockout zebrafish model using CRISPR/Cas9. The transcriptional modulation of genes downstream of cGAS (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase)-Sting pathway-related genes was analyzed in seven-day-old wild-type (WT) and sting(−/−) embryos, as well as in four-day-old LPS-stimulated embryos. The expression of downstream genes was higher in sting(−/−) than in healthy WT fish. The late response was observed in sting(−/−) larvae following LPS treatment, demonstrating the importance of Sting-induced immunity during bacterial infection by activating the cGAS–STING pathway. Furthermore, adult sting(−/−) fish had a high mortality rate and significantly downregulated cGAS–STING pathway-related genes during Edwardsiella piscicida (E. piscicida) infection. In addition, we assessed NF-κB pathway genes following E. piscicida infection. Our results show fluctuating patterns of interleukin-6 (il6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (tnfα) expression, which is likely due to the influence of other NF-κB pathway-related immune genes. In summary, this study demonstrates the important role of Sting against bacterial infection.

Pyrethroid and organochlorine insecticides are enormously used to control agricultural and indoor insect pests. The metabolites of pyrethroid and endosulfan were used to evaluate environmental toxicities using a representative animal model, zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos in this study. The LC50 values in 3-phenoxy benzoic acid (3-PBA) and endosulfan sulfate (ES) were 1461 μg/L and 1459 μg/L, respectively. At the concentration of 2000 μg/L, spine curvature was observed in the ES-treated embryos. ES showed seizure-like events with an EC50 value of 354 μg/L. At the concentration of 1000 μg/L, the pericardial edema was observed in 3-PBA-treated embryos. The inhibition of heart development and the reduction of beating rates were observed in Tg(cmlc2:EGFP) embryos after the exposure to 3-PBA. Down-regulation of the vmhc gene coding ventricular myosin during heart development was significantly found in 3-PBA-treated embryos at 48 hpf, but recovered afterward. It indicates that ventricular malformation occurred at the initial stage of 3-PBA exposure. Considered together, both 3-PBA and ES need public concerns with periodic monitoring of these metabolites in households and agricultural areas to prevent humans and environmental organisms from their unexpected attacks.

Toxicological studies of O-ethyl-O-(4-nitrophenyl) phenylphosphonothioate (EPN) to aquatic vertebrates have been reported, but no reports on toxic mechanism was reported. As zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to EPN, no changes in their survival and hatching rates were observed until 96 h post fertilization (hpf), even at the highest treated concentration of 500 μg/L. In both 250 μg/L and 500 μg/L, edemas were observed in the heart and yolk sac, and a blood pool was also found. Acridine orange staining confirmed apoptotic phynotype, which was the strongest in embryos at 48 hpf. No noticeable difference in the formation and the shape of blood vessels of Tg(fli1a:EGFP) was observed. However, the total body length and number of somite were decreased. Heart formation in Tg(cmlc2:EGFP) were not properly proceeded, and the ventricle did not beat normally at 500 μg/L level. Cardiac development-related genes, myl7 and nppa, were significantly down- and up-regulated in a concentration-dependent manner. The slowed heartbeat was confirmed using Tg(gata1:EGFP), showing stagnant blood flow and seizure-like events were observed. Altogether, EPN can be the cause for the abnormal heart development accompanied by blood stagnation in embryos, interfering normal development with their inner circulatory system.

Loss of L-gulonolactone oxidase (GULO), which catalyzes the last step of the ascorbic acid (AA) biosynthesis pathway, results in a complete lack of AA in several Osteichthyes fish species, including zebrafish. In this study, sGULO, the active GULO gene from cloudy catshark (Scyliorhinus torazame) was cloned into zebrafish using the Gateway cloning method. The resulting Tg(b-actin:sGULO:mCherry) fish were analyzed for the effects of a reestablished AA pathway. Fluorescent microscopy and PCR were used to analyze the integration of the construct into the zebrafish genome. Catalytic activity of sGULO, AA production, growth-related characteristics, and gene expression were investigated to evaluate the effects of AA production in Tg fish. The mCherry fluorescent protein indicated the proper integration and expression of the sGULO construct in zebrafish. The sGULO gene was ubiquitously expressed in all the studied tissues and the enzyme activity indicated an increased AA production in Tg fish. The growth of Tg fish was also increased, and antioxidant system analysis suggests that reactive oxygen species production was reduced in Tg fish compared with wild type. Expression of the AA transporter slc23a1 was significantly downregulated in Tg homozygous fish. These results collectively indicate the effects of reestablished AA synthesis in zebrafish.

Melanogenesis represents a series of processes that produce melanin, a protective skin pigment (against ultraviolet rays), and determines human skin color. Chemicals reducing melanin production have always been in demand in the cosmetic market because of skincare interests, such as whitening. The main mechanism for inhibiting melanin production is the inhibition of tyrosinase (TYR), a key enzyme for melanogenesis. Here, we evaluated gedunin (Ged), a representative limonoid, for its anti-melanogenesis action. Melanin production in vitro was stimulated by alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in B16F10 mouse melanoma cells. Ged reduced α-MSH-stimulated melanin production, inhibiting TYR activity and protein amount. We confirmed this result in vivo in a zebrafish model for melanogenesis. There was no sign of toxicity and malformation of zebrafish embryos during development in all treated concentrations. Ged reduced the number of produced zebrafish embryo pigment dots and melanin contents of embryos. The highly active concentration of Ged (100 µM) was much lower than the positive control, kojic acid (8 mM). Hence, Ged could be a fascinating candidate for anti-melanogenesis reagents.

Finasteride is commonly used for treatment of alopecia. Because finasteride is a cause of gynecomastia, there is concern regarding the continuation of finasteride therapy after mastectomy. No studies have been performed to determine whether finasteride should be continued after mastectomy when gynecomastia occurs in patients taking finasteride for the treatment of alopecia. The researchers studied the effects of finasteride on gynecomastia recurrence after mastectomy in men with gynecomastia taking finasteride for alopecia. The researchers retrospectively evaluated 1,673 patients with gynecomastia who underwent subcutaneous mastectomy with liposuction at Damsoyu Hospital from January 2014 to December 2016. In total, 52 of the patients were taking finasteride for alopecia before surgery and continued to use it in the same manner after mastectomy. Ultrasonography was performed 1 year after mastectomy. The patients’ median age was 26.5 (24.75–30) years. All 52 patients had bilateral gynecomastia. The median duration of finasteride therapy before and after surgery was 12 (5–25.75) and 33 (27.5–40.5) months, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups with and without the use of finasteride in relation to postoperative complications and recurrence rates. Taking finasteride seems to have little effect on recurrence in patients with alopecia who have undergone surgical treatment of gynecomastia. Surgeons may recommend continuous finasteride therapy in patients with alopecia who wish to take finasteride after mastectomy.

Fiber optic interferometers to sense various physical parameters including temperature, strain, pressure, and refractive index have been widely investigated. They can be categorized into four types: Fabry-Perot, Mach-Zehnder, Michelson, and Sagnac. In this paper, each type of interferometric sensor is reviewed in terms of operating principles, fabrication methods, and application fields. Some specific examples of recently reported interferometeric sensor technologies are presented in detail to show their large potential in practical applications. Some of the simple to fabricate but exceedingly effective Fabry-Perot interferometers, implemented in both extrinsic and intrinsic structures, are discussed. Also, a wide variety of Mach-Zehnder and Michelson interferometric sensors based on photonic crystal fibers are introduced along with their remarkable sensing performances. Finally, the simultaneous multi-parameter sensing capability of a pair of long period fiber grating (LPG) is presented in two types of structures; one is the Mach-Zehnder interferometer formed in a double cladding fiber and the other is the highly sensitive Sagnac interferometer cascaded with an LPG pair.