A Case of Sparganosis That Presented as a Recurrent Pericardial Effusion

Sparganosis is caused by a larval tapeworm of the genus Spirometra, which commonly invades subcutaneous tissue, but less frequently invades muscle, intestines, spinal cord, and the peritoneopleural cavity. The authors managed a female patient who presented with a recurrent pericardiopleural effusion and peripheral eosinophilia. The anti-sparganum-specific IgG serum level was significantly higher than normal control levels. In this patient, sparganosis was caused by the ingestion of raw frogs in an effort to control her thyroid disease. The recurrent pericardiopleural effusion and peripheral eosinophilia were controlled by 3 consecutive doses of praziquantel (75 mg/kg/day). The patient is doing well 4 years after presentation. Sparganosis should be considered a rare, but possible cause of recurrent pericardial effusion and peripheral eosinophilia. Immunoserologic testing using enzyme linked immunosorbent assays can be helpful in diagnosing human sparganosis, especially in cases without a subcutaneous lump or mass. Praziquantel is an alternative treatment for sparganosis in surgically-unresectable cases

CRISPR/Cas9-induced knockout and knock-in mutations in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Genome editing is crucial for genetic engineering of organisms for improved traits, particularly in microalgae due to the urgent necessity for the next generation biofuel production. The most advanced CRISPR/Cas9 system is simple, efficient and accurate in some organisms; however, it has proven extremely difficult in microalgae including the model alga Chlamydomonas. We solved this problem by delivering Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) comprising the Cas9 protein and sgRNAs to avoid cytotoxicity and off-targeting associated with vector-driven expression of Cas9. We obtained CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations at three loci including MAA7, CpSRP43 and ChlM, and targeted mutagenic efficiency was improved up to 100 fold compared to the first report of transgenic Cas9-induced mutagenesis. Interestingly, we found that unrelated vectors used for the selection purpose were predominantly integrated at the Cas9 cut site, indicative of NHEJ-mediated knock-in events. As expected with Cas9 RNPs, no off-targeting was found in one of the mutagenic screens. In conclusion, we improved the knockout efficiency by using Cas9 RNPs, which opens great opportunities not only for biological research but also industrial applications in Chlamydomonas and other microalgae. Findings of the NHEJ-mediated knock-in events will allow applications of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in microalgae, including safe harboring techniques shown in other organisms.

CRISPR/Cas9-induced knockout and knock-in mutations in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Genome editing is crucial for genetic engineering of organisms for improved traits, particularly in microalgae due to the urgent necessity for the next generation biofuel production. The most advanced CRISPR/Cas9 system is simple, efficient and accurate in some organisms; however, it has proven extremely difficult in microalgae including the model alga Chlamydomonas. We solved this problem by delivering Cas9 ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) comprising the Cas9 protein and sgRNAs to avoid cytotoxicity and off-targeting associated with vector-driven expression of Cas9. We obtained CRISPR/Cas9-induced mutations at three loci including MAA7, CpSRP43 and ChlM, and targeted mutagenic efficiency was improved up to 100 fold compared to the first report of transgenic Cas9-induced mutagenesis. Interestingly, we found that unrelated vectors used for the selection purpose were predominantly integrated at the Cas9 cut site, indicative of NHEJ-mediated knock-in events. As expected with Cas9 RNPs, no off-targeting was found in one of the mutagenic screens. In conclusion, we improved the knockout efficiency by using Cas9 RNPs, which opens great opportunities not only for biological research but also industrial applications in Chlamydomonas and other microalgae. Findings of the NHEJ-mediated knock-in events will allow applications of the CRISPR/Cas9 system in microalgae, including "safe harboring" techniques shown in other organisms142561sciescopu

Pilot-scale evaluation of an integrated membrane system for domestic wastewater reuse on islands

A large quantity of irrigation water is necessary for 'J' island in Korea to sustain its main industry of agriculture despite insufficient water resources. Therefore, the local government has decided to develop the wastewater reclamation system. Secondary effluent from 'J' domestic wastewater treatment plant ('J' DWWTP) was selected for this purpose. The treated water quality was required to satisfy the drinking water standard because the irrigation water would eventually end up in their sole water source of groundwater. An integrated membrane system (IMS) had been installed and operated for 6 months. Conductivity and disinfection by-product (DBP) were the criteria parameters for the process screening. After careful investigation, IMS (20 m(3)xd(-1)) was constructed with microfiltration (MF) and reverse osmosis (RO). MF was selected as pre-treatment because sand filtration was not effective in removal of small-sized particles, while RO was selected due to high conductivity in the effluent of 'J' DWWTP. According to the operational results, IMS showed the stable performance. The treated water quality satisfied the drinking water standards and was comparable to those of groundwater on 'J' islandclose131

New Genetic Loci Associated with Preharvest Sprouting and Its Evaluation Based on the Model Equation in Rice

Preharvest sprouting (PHS) in rice panicles is an important quantitative trait that causes both yield losses and the deterioration of grain quality under unpredictable moisture conditions at the ripening stage. However, the molecular mechanism underlying PHS has not yet been elucidated. Here, we explored the genetic loci associated with PHS in rice and formulated a model regression equation for rapid screening for use in breeding programs. After re-sequencing 21 representative accessions for PHS and performing enrichment analysis, we found that approximately 20,000 SNPs revealed distinct allelic distributions between PHS resistant and susceptible accessions. Of these, 39 candidate SNP loci were selected, including previously reported QTLs. We analyzed the genotypes of 144 rice accessions to determine the association between PHS and the 39 candidate SNP loci, 10 of which were identified as significantly affecting PHS based on allele type. Based on the allele types of the SNP loci, we constructed a regression equation for evaluating PHS, accounting for an R2 value of 0.401 in japonica rice. We validated this equation using additional accessions, which exhibited a significant R2 value of 0.430 between the predicted values and actual measurements. The newly detected SNP loci and the model equation could facilitate marker-assisted selection to predict PHS in rice germplasm and breeding lines

Comparison of hepatic fat fraction (%) in dual- and triple-echo MRI.

<p>The dual-echo fat fraction (mean 2.3 ± 2.0%) was not different from the triple-echo fat fraction (mean 2.9 ± 1.4%) in healthy children (<i>p</i> = 0.010).</p

Correlation between clinical and laboratory findings and hepatic fat fraction in dual- and triple-echo fat quantification MRI.

<p>*from Spearman’s correlation test</p><p>Correlation between clinical and laboratory findings and hepatic fat fraction in dual- and triple-echo fat quantification MRI.</p

Bland-Altman plots for measurement of hepatic fat fraction using dual and triple-echo MRI.

<p>Bland-Altman plots demonstrated good agreement between dual and triple-echo fat fractions.</p