Heterosporis anguillarum infections in farm cultured eels (Anguilla japonica) in Korea

Ten eels (Anguilla japonica) from a fish farm in Korea were examined and diagnosed with a Heterosporis infection. The gross lesions on the trunk were uneven and the concave parts were pasty. Histopathologically, lyses of the trunk muscles, degenerative muscle fibers and the scattered spores were observed. The sporophorocyst (SPC) contained several spores with a variety of shapes. Some SPC were disrupted and the spores in the SPC were scattered in the muscle tissues. Macrophages existed near the scattered spores. Electron microscopy revealed special structures such as sporophorocyst containing various developmental parasitic stages such as meronts, sporonts, sporophorous vesicles and spores

Prevalence of Anti-Ganglioside Antibodies and Their Clinical Correlates with Guillain-Barre Syndrome in Korea: A Nationwide Multicenter Study

Background and Purpose No previous studies have investigated the relationship between various anti-ganglioside antibodies and the clinical characteristics of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) in Korea. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of anti-ganglioside antibodies in Korean GBS patients, and to identify their clinical significance. Methods Serum was collected from patients during the acute phase of GBS at 20 university-based hospitals in Korea. The clinical and laboratory findings were reviewed and compared with the detected types of anti-ganglioside antibody. Results Among 119 patients, 60 were positive for immunoglobulin G (IgG) or immunoglobulin M antibodies against any type of ganglioside (50%). The most frequent type was IgG anti-GM1 antibody (47%), followed by IgG anti-GT1a (38%), IgG anti-GD1a (25%), and IgG anti-GQ1b (8%) antibodies. Anti-GM1-antibody positivity was strongly correlated with the presence of preceding gastrointestinal infection, absence of sensory symptoms or signs, and absence of cranial nerve involvement. Patients with anti-GD1a antibody were younger, predominantly male, and had more facial nerve involvement than the antibody-negative group. Anti-GT1a-antibody positivity was more frequently associated with bulbar weakness and was highly associated with ophthalmoplegia when coupled with the coexisting anti-GQ1b antibody. Despite the presence of clinical features of acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN), 68% of anti-GM1- or anti-GD1a-antibody-positive cases of GBS were diagnosed with acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AMP) by a single electrophysiological study. Conclusions Anti-ganglioside antibodies were frequently found in the serum of Korean GBS patients, and each antibody was correlated strongly with the various clinical manifestations. Nevertheless, without an anti-ganglioside antibody assay, in Korea AMAN is frequently misdiagnosed as AIDP by single electrophysiological studies.OAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2014-01/102/0000004487/14SEQ:14PERF_CD:SNU2014-01EVAL_ITEM_CD:102USER_ID:0000004487ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A075641DEPT_CD:801CITE_RATE:1.807FILENAME:kimjk-anti ganlioside ab-gbs-j clin neurol-2014-10(2)94.pdfDEPT_NM:의학과SCOPUS_YN:YCONFIRM:

Combined scheduling model to optimize tritium inventory in tritium plant of ITER

The goal of this study was to provide a discrete-continuous scheduling model for optimal operation of the fuel cycle of ITER. The model is designed to minimize the tritium working inventory in the Isotope Separation System (ISS) of the fuel cycle by adopting a two-stage scheduling approach. To consider the effect of pump regeneration schedule on tritium fluctuation in the ISS, the suggested solving algorithm is presented as a two-stage scheduling models: Stage I obtains the optimal pump-regeneration schedule, and Stage II suggests the optimal fuel-transition timing from the ISS to the Storage and Delivery System to minimize tritium working inventory in the ISS. The scheduling model uses discrete-time representation in Stage I and continuous-time representation in Stage II

Mathematical modeling using batch scheduling approach for optimal tritium inventory in the ISS of the ITER fuel cycle

An optimal model to schedule fuel regeneration is developed for the Tokamak Cryopumps and Cryogenic Viscous Compressors (CVCs) of the fuel cycle of ITER. The objective is to minimize the tritium inventory inside the Isotope Separation Systems (ISS) while supplying the tokamak's required amount of fuel considering fueling stages: ramp-up, flat-top, and ramp-down for each tokamak operation mode (Inductive, Hybrid, and NonInductive). Case studies of CVC regeneration times are presented to illustrate how CVC regeneration affects the ISS tritium working inventory. Results showed that nine iterations of CVC regeneration are enough to maintain ISS working tritium inventory management during Non-Inductive tokamak operation mode. The developed model uses mixed integer linear programming of the state-task network

Hypothetical daily operation model of fuel cycle in tritium plant

This paper describes a design model for the fuel cycle of a tritium plant; the model considers both the fueling line and the Neutral Beam Injector line. The fuel cycle typically consists of a 16-h of burn-and-dwell operations followed by an 8-h silent shift, so the behavioral changes of fuel cycle of the tritium plant are influenced by both an hourly cycle of burn-and-dwell operations and 24-h cycle. To provide a tool to optimize the tritium inventory level, and to gain insight into the behavior changes of the fuel cycle, a mathematical model is developed. The model mainly focuses on the Isotope Separation System, which holds the largest amount of gaseous and liquid tritium. The optimization problem is formulated as a mixed integer linear program model with linear constraints. An inductive operation scenario is presented to illustrate the applicability of the proposed model. The obtained minimum tritium working inventory in ISS is 103.498 g in the inductive operation scenario.11sciescopu

Optimal scheduling model to minimize tritium inventory level in fuel cycle of tritium plant

This paper proposes an optimization model for the scheduling of the fuel cycle of a fusion power plant. The objective of the problem is to minimize the tritium working inventory in the Isotope Separation System under periodic demand, thereby solving problems associated with high inventories. The model is formulated as a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem based on the state-task network approach. The proposed model is applied to inductive, hybrid, and non-inductive tokamak operation modes. With proposed case studies, the model is expected to provide many useful insights to determine the optimum scheduling results providing information on flow pattern, flow rate, and flow timing between equipment while minimizing tritium working inventory.11Nsciescopu

In vitro assay of neurofilament light chain self-assembly using truncated mutants

Neurofilaments (NFs) are heteropolymers composed of light (NF-L), middle (NF-M), and heavy (NF-H) subunits, present in most neurons. NF-L polymerizes on its own to provide a scaffold on which regular NFs form via the cross-bridging of NF-M or NF-H. To clarify the mechanism of regulation of NF-L self-assembly, we developed an assay using truncated mutant NF-L fused to glutathione-S transferase (GST). Western immunoblotting data show that the GST-fused head-rod domains of NF-L are necessary and sufficient for detecting assembled NF-L. The levels of self-assembled NF-L subunits detected using GST fusion proteins were consistent with those detected by electron microscopy and turbidity assay. Our results collectively imply that GST-fused head-rod domains of NF-L are critical tools for analyzing NF-L self-assembly in vitro.close5

Ochratoxin A Inhibits Adipogenesis Through the Extracellular Signal-Related Kinases-Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-g Pathway in Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a ubiquitous fungal metabolite with nephrotoxic, carcinogenic, and apoptotic potential. Although the toxic effects of OTA in various cell types are well characterized, it is not known whether OTA has an effect on stem cell differentiation. In this study, we demonstrate that OTA inhibits adipogenesis in human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells, as indicated by decreased accumulation of intracellular lipid droplets. Further, OTA significantly reduces expression of adipocyte-specific markers, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma), CCAAT enhancer binding protein-alpha (C/EBP-alpha), lipoprotein lipase (LPL), and adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (aP2). At the molecular level, OTA phosphorylates PPAR-gamma 2 through extracellular signal-related kinase activation and inhibits PPAR-gamma activity. We also found that treatment with the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitor, PD98059, significantly blocked the OTA-induced inhibition of adipogenesis. These results indicate that OTA suppresses adipogenesis in an extracellular signal-related kinase-dependent manner. Taken together, our results suggest a novel effect of OTA on adipocyte differentiation in human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells and the possibility that OTA might affect the differentiation of other types of stem cells.close7