Differential gene expression analysis reveals functional roles of cryptic orange-pigmented organ in the colorless head kidney of Antarctic icefishes

We discovered an orange-pigmented, discrete body several millimeters in size embedded within the anterior end of the colorless head kidney of the hemoglobinless Antarctic icefishes. No macroscopically visible discrete organ has previously been reported in Antarctic fishes or teleost fishes in general. To assess the tissue type and functions of this cryptic orange body, we performed RNA sequencing and analyzed the orange body transcriptome relative to the surrounding head kidney tissue. We found 5,263 differentially expressed genes in the orange body, of which 4,624 genes were up-regulated and 639 down-regulated relative to the head kidney tissue. Differential gene expression analyses detected the enrichment of two main biological pathways: steroid hormone production and proline biosynthesis. The steroidogenic activities of the orange body indicate it performs functional roles of the interrenal tissue cells – the teleost homolog of the tetrapod adrenal cortex but are normally dispersed among the teleost head kidney tissue. Transcription of many cytochrome P450 enzymes participating in steroidogenesis were upregulated, potentially leading to greater levels of ROS and peroxidation of the lipid-rich steroid producing orange body cells. Proline is known to act as an antioxidant, thus, the detected enrichment in proline synthesis may be related to antioxidation defense mechanism, conferring protection against lipid peroxidation in steroid rich orange body cells

Investigating Employee and Customer Perceptions on ICT Utilization: CRM and Policy Implications

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze factors affected by the ICT utilization with perspectives of employees (Study 1) and customers (Study 2) that are rarely approached in previous studies. In particular, this study examined how proposed factors on ICT utilization affect employee satisfaction, organization performance, customer satisfaction, and purchasing decision making. Research design, data and methodology: This study conducted an online survey to measure the effects. Cronbach’s alpha was applied to test reliability and factor analysis was applied to check validity. Multiple regression analysis and ANOVA were applied to test hypotheses. Results: The results of this study found that the effects of self-development and organizational innovation on employee satisfaction were significant for study 1, while the effects of product satisfaction, promotional offers, and customer communication on purchase decision making were significant for study 2. Conclusions:This study provides managerial and policy implications. At the management level, it is necessary to make specific strategies to improve employee and customer satisfaction and organization performance associated with the utilization of ICT. The results of this study suggest that better policy should be prepared by government to foster utilization of ICT infrastructure and to enhance better relationships with employees and customers.2

Safety and tissue yield for percutaneous native kidney biopsy according to practitioner and ultrasound technique

BACKGROUND: Although percutaneous renal biopsy remains an essential tool in the diagnosis and treatment of renal diseases, in recent times the traditional procedure of nephrologists has been performed by non-nephrologists rather than nephrologists at many institutions. The present study assessed the safety and adequacy of tissue yield during percutaneous renal biopsy according to practitioners and techniques based on ultrasound. METHODS: This study included 658 native renal biopsies performed from 2005 to 2010 at a single centre. The biopsies were performed by nephrologists or expert ultrasound radiologists using the ultrasound-marked blind or real-time ultrasound-guided techniques. RESULTS: A total of 271 ultrasound-marked blind biopsies were performed by nephrologists, 170 real-time ultrasound-guided biopsies were performed by nephrologists, and 217 real-time ultrasound-guided biopsies were performed by radiologists during the study period. No differences in post-biopsy complications such as haematoma, need for transfusion and intervention, gross haematuria, pain, or infection were observed among groups. Glomerular numbers of renal specimens from biopsies performed by nephrologists without reference to any technique were higher than those obtained from real-time ultrasound-guided biopsies performed by expert ultrasound radiologists. CONCLUSIONS: Percutaneous renal biopsy performed by nephrologists was not inferior to that performed by expert ultrasound radiologists as related to specimen yield and post-biopsy complications

Survival and reproductive outcome of childbearing age ovarian cancer patients taking fertility-sparing surgery

Background: Surgical management of ovarian cancer includes total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy which results in the loss of fertility. Fertility-sparing surgery in the reproductive aged women with early-stage ovarian cancer with favourable histology has been proposed by American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and European Society for Medical Oncology. We sought to access the survival and fertility outcome of Korean women in their reproductive age who undertook fertility-sparing surgery.Methods: Based on the Korean National Insurance Claims Data and the National Health Information Database, 328 women with newly developed ovarian cancer in 2010 were followed up for the survival and pregnancy outcome until 2020. Patients who were diagnosed with cancer or underwent hysterectomy before 2010 were excluded. The control group consisted of 552 women matched by age, economic status and place of living.Results: Out of 120, 10 deaths occurred in the fertility-sparing surgery group showing a survival rate of 91.7%. Women undertaking fertility-sparing surgery had a lower chance of delivering a new-born compared to the control group (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.26-0.81). Diagnosis of infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and abortion appeared higher in the fertility-sparing surgery group, but it did not reach a statistical significance.Conclusions: The pregnancy rate of the ovarian cancer patients with fertility-sparing surgery was lower than that of women without ovarian cancer. Undergoing fertility-sparing surgery per se should not deter women of trying to get pregnant as the pregnancy outcome indicators do not show statistically significant differences compared to the control group

The value of chest CT for prediction of breast tumor size: comparison with pathology measurement

BACKGROUND: Little information is available on the use of chest computed tomography (CT) to predict breast tumor size in breast cancer, despite the fact that chest CT examinations are being increasingly used. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the value of chest CT for predicting breast tumor size using pathology measurements as reference standards. METHODS: Tumor sizes (defined as greatest diameter) were retrospectively measured on the preoperative chest CT images of 285 patients with surgically proven unifocal, invasive breast carcinoma. Greatest tumor diameters as determined by chest CT and pathologic examinations were compared by linear regression and Spearman’s rho correlation analysis. Concordance between CT and pathology results was defined as a diameter difference of <5 mm. Subgroup analyses were also performed with respect to tumor size (<20 mm or ≥20 mm) and histological subtype (invasive ductal carcinoma(IDC) or non-IDC). RESULTS: CT and pathology measured diameters were found to be linearly related (size at pathology = 1.086 × CT determined tumor size - 1.141; Spearman’s rho correlation coefficient = 0.84, P<0.001). Most tumors (n = 228, 80.0%) were concordant by chest CT and pathology, but 36 tumors (12.7%) were underestimated by CT (average underestimation, 11 mm; range, 6–36 mm) and 21 tumors (7.4%) were overestimated (average overestimation by CT, 10 mm; range, 6–19 mm). The concordance rate between the two sets of measurements was greater for tumor of <20 mm and for IDC (P<0.001 and P = 0.011, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor size by chest CT is well correlated with pathology determined tumor size in breast cancer patients, and the diameters of the majority of tumors by chest CT and pathology differed by <5 mm. In addition, the concordance rate was higher for breast tumors of <20 mm and for tumors of the IDC histologic subtype

Unleashing the full potential of Hsp90 inhibitors as cancer therapeutics through simultaneous inactivation of Hsp90, Grp94, and TRAP1

Cancer therapeutics: Extending a drug&apos;s reach A new drug that blocks heat shock proteins (HSPs), helper proteins that are co-opted by cancer cells to promote tumor growth, shows promise for cancer treatment. Several drugs have targeted HSPs, since cancer cells are known to hijack these helper proteins to shield themselves from destruction by the body. However, the drugs have had limited success. Hye-Kyung Park and Byoung Heon Kang at Ulsan National Institutes of Science and Technology in South Korea and coworkers noticed that the drugs were not absorbed into mitochondria, a key cellular compartment, and HSPs in this compartment were therefore not being blocked. They identified a new HSP inhibitor that can reach every cellular compartment and inhibit all HSPs. Testing in mice showed that this inhibitor effectively triggered death of tumor cells, and therefore shows promise for anti-cancer therapy. The Hsp90 family proteins Hsp90, Grp94, and TRAP1 are present in the cell cytoplasm, endoplasmic reticulum, and mitochondria, respectively; all play important roles in tumorigenesis by regulating protein homeostasis in response to stress. Thus, simultaneous inhibition of all Hsp90 paralogs is a reasonable strategy for cancer therapy. However, since the existing pan-Hsp90 inhibitor does not accumulate in mitochondria, the potential anticancer activity of pan-Hsp90 inhibition has not yet been fully examined in vivo. Analysis of The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed that all Hsp90 paralogs were upregulated in prostate cancer. Inactivation of all Hsp90 paralogs induced mitochondrial dysfunction, increased cytosolic calcium, and activated calcineurin. Active calcineurin blocked prosurvival heat shock responses upon Hsp90 inhibition by preventing nuclear translocation of HSF1. The purine scaffold derivative DN401 inhibited all Hsp90 paralogs simultaneously and showed stronger anticancer activity than other Hsp90 inhibitors. Pan-Hsp90 inhibition increased cytotoxicity and suppressed mechanisms that protect cancer cells, suggesting that it is a feasible strategy for the development of potent anticancer drugs. The mitochondria-permeable drug DN401 is a newly identified in vivo pan-Hsp90 inhibitor with potent anticancer activity

Allelic and Haplotypic Diversity of HLA-A, -B, -C, and-DRB1 Genes in Koreans Defined by High-resolution DNA Typing

배경 : HLA 형별은 혈청학적 수준(generic level)에서도 다형성이 심하지만 대립유전자 수준에서는 더욱 심한 다형성을 보이고 인종 간에 큰 차이를 나타내는 것으로 알려졌다. 본 연구에서는 고해상도 DNA 검사법을 이용하여 한국인에서 HLA대립유전자 형별과 일배체형의 종류 및 빈도를 알아보고자 하였다. 방법 : 건강한 한국인 474명을 대상으로 HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 유전자에 대해 두 단계의 검사로 대립유전자(4자리수) 형별 분석을 실시하였다. 1단계로 혈청학적 수준의 형별검사를 혈청학적 검사법이나 sequence-specific oligonucleotide(PCR-SSO) 방법으로 시행하였고, 그 다음 단계로 대립유전자 형별검사를 class I은 exon 2와 exon3, DRB1은 exon 2에 대해 single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) 또는 직접염기서열분석법을 이용하여 실시하였다. HLA 대립 유전자의 유전자 빈도, 일배체형 빈도, 연쇄불평형 값은 maximum likelihood 원리에 근거한 제11차 국제조직적합성워크숍 컴퓨터 프로그램을 이용하여 산출하였다. 결과 : 한국인에서 검출된 HLA-A, -B, -C, DRB1 대립유전자 형별은 각각 21, 40, 22, 29종이었다. 이 중에 유전자 빈도 10% 이상을 보인 대립유전자 형별(빈도순 나열)은 A*02:01, A*24:02, A*33:03; B*51:01; C*01:02, C*03:03; RB1*09:01등이었다. HLA 일배체형의 분석 결과 0.5% 이상의 빈도를 나타내는 2-유전자좌 일배체형은 A-C 44종, B-C 42종, A-B 51종, B-DRB1 52종이었고, 3-유전자좌 일배체형은 A-C-B 42종, A-B-DRB1 34종이었다. 한국인에서 빈도 1% 이상의 A-B-DR 일배체형은 13종으로, 전체 일배체형의 26.0%를 차지하였고, 2% 이상으로 가장 흔한 A-B-DR 일배체형은 A*33:03-B*44:03-DRB1*13:02 (3.7%), A*33:03-B*44:03-DRB1*07:01 (3.0%), A*33:03-B*58:01-DRB1*13:02 (3.0%), A*24:02-B*07:02-DRB1*01:01 (2.8%), A*30:01-B*13:02-DRB1* 07:01 (2.3%), A*11:01-B*15:01-DRB1*04:06 (2.2%) 등 6종이었다. 결론 : 본 연구를 통해 한국인의 대립유전자 수준의 HLA 형별과 HLA 일배체형 빈도에 대한 자료를 제시하였으며, 본 연구의 결과는 한국인에서 장기이식, 질환연관성 연구, 인류유전학적 연구 등에서 중요한 기초자료로 이용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다. Background : In this study, we used high-resolution DNA typing to investigate the distribution of HLA alleles and haplotypes in Koreans. Methods : HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DRB1 alleles were genotyped at the allelic (4-digit) level in 474 healthy Koreans. HLA genotyping was performed in two steps. Initially, serologic typing or generic-level DNA typing was performed using the FOR-sequence-specific oligonucleotide method, and then allelic DNA typing (exons 2 and 3 for class I, and exon 2 for DRB1) was carried out using the FOR-single-strand conformation polymorphism method or sequence-based typing. HLA allele and haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium values were calculated by the maximum likelihood method using a computer program developed for the 11th International Histocompatibility Workshop. Results : A total of 21 HLA-A, 40 HLA-B, 22 HLA-C, and 29 HLA-DRB1 alleles were found in Koreans. The most frequent alleles in each locus with frequencies of >= 10% were, in decreasing order of frequency, as follows: A star 24:02, A star 02:01, A(star)33:03; B(star)51:01; C(star)01:02, C(star)03:03; and DRB1(star)09:01. The numbers of two- and three-locus haplotypes with frequencies of >0.5% were as follows: 44 A-C, 42 B-C, 51 A-B, 52 B-DRB1, 42 A-C-B, and 34 A-B-DRB1. Thirteen A-B-DRB1 haplotypes with frequencies of >= 1.0% comprised 26.0% of the total haplotypes. The six most common haplotypes were as follows: A(star)33:03-B(star)44:03-DRB1(star)3:02 (3.7%), A(star)33:03-B(star)44:03-DRB1(star)07:01 (3.0%), A(star)33:03-B(star)58: 01-DRB1(star)13:02 (3.0%), A(star)24:02-B(star)07:02-DRB1(star)01:01 (2.8%), A(star)30:01-B(star)13:02-DRB1(star)07:01 (2.3%), and A(star)11:01-B(star)15:01-DR81(star)04:06 (2.2%). Conclusions : The information obtained in this study can be used as basic data for Koreans in the fields of organ transplantation, disease association, and anthropologic studies. 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Insulin and glucagon secretions, and morphological change of pancreatic islets in OLETF rats, a model of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This study was performed to observe the changes of glucose-related hormones and the morphological change including ultrastructure of the pancreatic islets in the male Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty rat. Area under the curve (AUC) of glucose at the 30th (709 plus minus 73 mg.h/dL) and at the 40th week (746 plus minus 87 mg.h/ dL) of age were significantly higher than that at the 10th week (360 plus minus 25 mg.h/ dL). AUC of insulin of the 10th week was 2.4 plus minus 0.9 ng.h/mL, increased gradually to 10.8 plus minus 8.3 ng.h/mL at the 30th week, and decreased to 1.8 plus minus 1.2 ng.h/mL at the 40th week. The size of islet was increased at 20th week of age and the distribution of peripheral alpha cells and central beta cells at the 10th and 20th weeks was changed to a mixed pattern at the 40th week. On electron microscopic examination, beta cells at the 20th week showed many immature secretory granules, increased mitochondria, and hypertrophied Golgi complex and endoplasmic reticulum. At the 40th week, beta cell contained scanty intracellular organelles and secretory granules and apoptosis of acinar cell was observed. In conclusion, as diabetes progressed, increased secretion of insulin was accompanied by increases in size of islets and number of beta-cells in male OLETF rats showing obese type 2 diabetes. However, these compensatory changes could not overcome the requirement of insulin according to the continuous hyperglycemia after development of diabetes

Structural abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS)

AbstractPurposeThe aim of this study was to investigate cortical thickness and gray matter volume abnormalities in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS). We additionally assessed the effects of comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) on these abnormalities.MethodsSurface and volumetric MR imaging data of children with newly diagnosed BCECTS (n=20, 14 males) and age-matched healthy controls (n=20) were analyzed using FreeSurfer (version 5.3.0, https://surfer.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu). An additional comparison was performed between BCECTS children with and without ADHD (each, n=8). A group comparison was carried out using an analysis of covariance with a value of significance set as p<0.01 or p<0.05.ResultsChildren with BCECTS had significantly thicker right superior frontal, superior temporal, middle temporal, and left pars triangularis cortices. Voxel-based morphometric analysis revealed significantly larger cortical gray matter volumes of the right precuneus, left orbitofrontal, pars orbitalis, precentral gyri, and bilateral putamen and the amygdala of children with BCECTS compared to healthy controls. BCECTS patients with ADHD had significantly thicker left caudal anterior and posterior cingulate gyri and a significantly larger left pars opercularis gyral volume compared to BCECTS patients without ADHD.ConclusionChildren with BCECTS have thicker or larger gray matters in the corticostriatal circuitry at the onset of epilepsy. Comorbid ADHD is also associated with structural aberrations. These findings suggest structural disruptions of the brain network are associated with specific developmental electro-clinical syndromes

Traditional herbal medicine for anorexia in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background: The purpose of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of traditional herbal medicine (THM) for improving anorexia in patients with cancer.Methods: We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated orally administered THM for cancer-related anorexia using 10 databases from the inception to 1 August 2021. The primary outcome was an improvement in anorexia, measured with the total effective rate (TER) or visual analog scale (VAS). The secondary outcomes were the changes in body weight, the Karnofsky performance scale, acylated ghrelin, and adverse events. We used the Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation method to assess the quality of the studies and the quality of the evidence.Results: A total of 26 RCTs were included, of which 23 were subjected to quantitative analysis. THM showed a significant improvement in anorexia measured with the TER [risk ratio (RR) 1.12, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.04–1.20] than appetite stimulants with moderate quality evidence and in the Karnofsky performance scale (RR 1.38, 95% CI 1.12–1.70) with low quality evidence but not in body weight gain (RR 0.98, 95% CI 0.80–1.20). THM showed a significant improvement in anorexia measured with the TER (RR 1.74, 95% CI 1.23–2.48) compared with usual care with low-quality evidence but did not significantly improve the VAS score (mean difference 0.72, 95% CI 0.00–1.43) or the level of acylated ghrelin (mean difference 0.94, 95% CI 1.08–2.97). There were no serious adverse events.Conclusion: This review suggests that THM may be considered a safe alternative therapeutic option for improving anorexia in patients with cancer. Nonetheless, more rigorous RCTs are needed due to methodological limitations.Systematic Review Registration:https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero, identifier CRD42021276508