Akt1-Inhibitor of DNA binding2 is essential for growth cone formation and axon growth and promotes central nervous system axon regeneration.

Mechanistic studies of axon growth during development are beneficial to the search for neuron-intrinsic regulators of axon regeneration. Here, we discovered that, in the developing neuron from rat, Akt signaling regulates axon growth and growth cone formation through phosphorylation of serine 14 (S14) on Inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2). This enhances Id2 protein stability by means of escape from proteasomal degradation, and steers its localization to the growth cone, where Id2 interacts with radixin that is critical for growth cone formation. Knockdown of Id2, or abrogation of Id2 phosphorylation at S14, greatly impairs axon growth and the architecture of growth cone. Intriguingly, reinstatement of Akt/Id2 signaling after injury in mouse hippocampal slices redeemed growth promoting ability, leading to obvious axon regeneration. Our results suggest that Akt/Id2 signaling is a key module for growth cone formation and axon growth, and its augmentation plays a potential role in CNS axonal regeneration

Stabilization of Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn) in Contaminated Rice Paddy Soil Using Starfish: A Preliminary Study

Lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) contaminated rice paddy soil was stabilized using natural (NSF) and calcined starfish (CSF). Contaminated soil was treated with NSF in the range of 0-10 wt.% and CSF in the range of 0-5 wt.% and cured for 28 days. Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) test was used to evaluate effectiveness of starfish treatment. Scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analyses were conducted to investigate the mechanism responsible for effective immobilization of Pb and Zn. Experimental results suggest that NSF and CSF treatments effectively immobilize Pb and Zn in treated rice paddy soil. TCLP levels for Pb and Zn were reduced with increasing NSF and CSF dosage. Comparison of the two treatment methods reveals that CSF treatment is more effective than NSF treatment. Leachability of the two metals is reduced approximately 58% for Pb and 51% for Zn, upon 10 wt.% NSF treatment. More pronounced leachability reductions, 93% for Pb and 76% for Zn, are achieved upon treatment with 5 wt.% CSF. Sequential extraction results reveal that NSF and CSF treatments of contaminated soil generated decrease in exchangeable/weak acid Pb and Zn soluble fractions, and increase of residual Pb and Zn fractions. Results for the SEM-EDX sample treated with 5 wt.% CSF indicate that effective Pb and Zn immobilization is most probably associated with calcium silicate hydrates (CSHs) and calcium aluminum hydrates (CAHs)

Quality Improvement of Acidic Soils by Biochar Derived from Renewable Materials

Biochar derived from waste plant materials and agricultural residues was used to improve the quality of an acidic soil. The acidic soil was treated for 1 month with both soy bean stover-derived biochar and oak-derived biochar in the range of 1 to 5 wt% for pH improvement and exchangeable cation enhancement. Following 1 month of treatment, the soil pH was monitored and exchangeable cations were measured. Moreover, a maize growth experiment was performed for 14 days with selected treated soil samples to confirm the effectiveness of the treatment. The results showed that the pH of the treated acidic soil increased by more than 2 units, and the exchangeable cation values were greatly enhanced upon treatment with 5 wt% of both biochars, after 1 month of curing. Maize growth was superior in the 3 wt% biochar-treated samples compared to the control sample. The presented results demonstrate the effective use of biochar derived from renewable materials such as waste plant materials and agricultural residues for quality improvement of acidic soils

Carriage of Cytochrome 2C19 Polymorphism Is Associated With Risk of High Post-Treatment Platelet Reactivity on High Maintenance-Dose Clopidogrel of 150 mg/day Results of the ACCEL-DOUBLE (Accelerated Platelet Inhibition by a Double Dose of Clopidogrel According to Gene Polymorphism) Study

ObjectivesThis study sought to determine the impact of gene polymorphisms on platelet reactivity (PR) after clopidogrel 150 mg/day in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).BackgroundAlthough high maintenance-dose (MD) clopidogrel reduces PR, it is unknown whether gene polymorphisms are related with the risk of high post-treatment PR (HPPR) after high-MD clopidogrel.MethodsWe included mostly patients receiving high-MD clopidogrel after PCI from previously registered Gyeongsang National University Hospital data. A total of 126 PCI-treated patients receiving high-MD clopidogrel were enrolled. Platelet reactivity was assessed with conventional aggregometry and VerifyNow (Accumetrics Inc., San Diego, California) after receiving clopidogrel 150 mg/day for at least 1 month. CYP3A5, CYP2C19, and ABCB1 genotyping was performed. We defined HPPR as 5 μmol/l adenosine diphosphate (ADP)–induced maximal PR (PRmax) >50%.ResultsCYP3A5 and ABCB1 polymorphisms did not influence PR. Carriers of CYP2C19 variant (*2 or *3) (n = 80) had significantly higher 5 and 20 μmol/l ADP-induced PRmax than did noncarriers (n = 46) (40.7 ± 16.8% vs. 30.3 ± 12.6%, p < 0.001; 54.2 ± 16.2% vs. 40.5 ± 15.8%, p < 0.001, respectively). Late PR and VerifyNow results indicated consistently greater measures in carriers versus noncarriers of CYP2C19 variant. All platelet measures proportionally increased according to the number of CYP2C19 variant alleles. Twenty-seven (21.4%) patients met the criteria for HPPR. Prevalence of HPPR was 8.7%, 21.7%, and 50.0% in carriers of 0, 1, and 2 CYP2C19 variant alleles, respectively (p < 0.001). By multivariate analysis, carriage of CYP2C19 variant was a significant predictor of HPPR (odds ratio: 5.525, 95% confidence interval: 1.333 to 23.256, p = 0.018).ConclusionsAmong PCI-treated patients receiving high-MD clopidogrel, carriage of CYP2C19 variant relates to increased PR and predicts risk of HPPR. (Adjunctive Cilostazol Versus High Maintenance-dose ClopidogrEL in Acute Myocardial Infarction [AMI] Patients According to CYP2C19 Polymorphism [ACCELAMI2C19]; NCT00915733; and Comparison of Platelet Inhibition With Adjunctive Cilostazol Versus High Maintenance-Dose Clopidogrel According to Hepatic Cytochrome 2C19 Allele (CYP2C19) Polymorphism [ACCEL2C19]; NCT00891670)

The effect of hidden female smoking on the relationship between smoking and cardiovascular disease

Background: Smoking is a known risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but several Korean studies have shown differing results on the association of current smoking status and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between smoking status and CVD (myocardial infarction and stroke) using national representative populationbased samples. The aim was also to investigate the effects of hidden smokers on the association between CVD and smoking.Methods: Data were acquired from 28,620 participants (12,875 men and 15,745 women), age 19 years or older, who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) conducted from 2008 to 2016.Results: The multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that ex-smoking status was correlated with CVD when self-reported (odds ratio [OR]: 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.20–2.19) and for survey-cotinine verified-smoking status (OR: 1.57; 95% CI: 1.20–2.19). Interestingly, the present study showed current smoking was not significantly associated with CVD. For the effect of sex on smoking and CVD, self-reported and survey-cotinine-verified ex-smoking status were correlated with CVD in males (OR: 1.45; 95% CI: 1.04–2.04 and OR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.02–2.02) and in females (OR: 2.74; 95% CI: 1.59–4.71 and OR: 2.92; 95% CI: 1.64–5.18). The ratios of cotinine-verified to self-reported smoking rates were 1.95 for women and 1.08 for men.Conclusions: In the current study, while ex-smoking status was significantly associated with CVD, current smoking status was not. Female ex-smoking status had a higher adjusted odds ratio for CVD than males compared to non-smoking status. An effect of hidden female smoking was also found on the association between smoking status and CVD in Korean adults

A Case of More Abundant and Dysplastic Adenomas in the Interposed Colon than in the Native Colon

We report a 60-year-old woman with intramucosal adenocarcinoma arising in the interposed colon, 40 years after the esophageal reconstruction for lye induced esophageal stricture. Although synchronous adenomas were also found in the native colon where the graft was taken, the number of adenomas was greater in the interposed colon and more dysplastic, even progressed to adenocarcinoma, than that of the native colon. The microsatellite instability-testing performed in the intramucosal carcinoma from interposed colon showed absence of microsatellite instability. Changing of location and functional deman]d of colonic segment, and the exposure to different intraluminal contents might have facilitated the adenomacarcinoma transformation in the interposed colon