LaughTalk: Expressive 3D Talking Head Generation with Laughter

Laughter is a unique expression, essential to affirmative social interactions of humans. Although current 3D talking head generation methods produce convincing verbal articulations, they often fail to capture the vitality and subtleties of laughter and smiles despite their importance in social context. In this paper, we introduce a novel task to generate 3D talking heads capable of both articulate speech and authentic laughter. Our newly curated dataset comprises 2D laughing videos paired with pseudo-annotated and human-validated 3D FLAME parameters and vertices. Given our proposed dataset, we present a strong baseline with a two-stage training scheme: the model first learns to talk and then acquires the ability to express laughter. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our method performs favorably compared to existing approaches in both talking head generation and expressing laughter signals. We further explore potential applications on top of our proposed method for rigging realistic avatars.Comment: Accepted to WACV202

Fulminant myocarditis managed with pulsatile extracorporeal life support; use of Twin Pulse Life support (T-PLS®)

Fulminant myocarditis frequently results in severe hemodynamic deterioration. High-dose vasopressors or sometimes mechanical circulatory support are required. We report on two cases of fulminant myocarditis successfully treated with pulsatile extracorporeal life support (T-PLS®, Twin Pulse Life support, New heart bio.BHK, Seoul, Korea). With T-PLS, we were able to provide mechanical support to patients until they recovered completely

Protective effects of Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi against hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage and apoptosis in HaCaT human skin keratinocytes

Oxidative stress due to excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is one of the risk factors for the development of several chronic diseases. In this study, we investigated the protective effects of Scutellaria bai- calensis rhizome ethanol extract (SBRE) against oxidative stress-induced cellular damage and elucidated the un- derlying mechanisms in the HaCaT human skin keratinocyte cell line. Our results revealed that treatment with SBRE prior to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) exposure significantly increased viability of aCaT cells. SBRE also effectively attenuated H2O2-induced comet tail formation and inhibited the H2O2-induced phosphorylation levels of the histone γH2AX, as well as the number of apoptotic bodies and Annexin V-positive cells. In addition, SBRE exhibited scavenging activity against intracellular ROS generation and restored the mitochondrial membrane po- tential loss by H2O2. Moreover, H2O2 enhanced the cleavage of caspase-3 and degradation of poly (ADP-ribose)- polymerase, a typical substrate protein of activated caspase-3, as well as DNA fragmentation; however, these events were almost totally reversed by pretreatment with SBRE. Furthermore, SBRE increased the levels of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), which is a potent antioxidant enzyme, associated with the induction of nuclear fac- tor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2). According to our data, SBRE is able to protect HaCaT cells from H2O2- induced DNA damage and apoptosis through blocking cellular damage related to oxidative stress through a mech-anism that would affect ROS elimination and activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway

Soluble expression and stability enhancement of transcription factors using 30Kc19 cell-penetrating protein

Transcription factors have been studied as an important drug candidate. Ever since the successful generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), there has been tremendous interest in reprogramming transcription factors. Because of the safety risks involved in a virus-based approach, many researchers have been trying to deliver transcription factors using nonintegrating materials. Thus, delivery of transcription factors produced as recombinant proteins in E. coli was proposed as an alternative method. However, the low level of soluble expression and instability of such recombinant proteins are potential barriers. We engineered a Bombyx mori 30Kc19 protein as a fusion partner for transcription factors to overcome those problems. We have previously reported that 30Kc19 protein can be produced as a soluble form in E. coli and has a cell-penetrating property and a protein-stabilizing effect. Transcription factors fused with 30Kc19 (Oct4-30Kc19, Sox2-30Kc19, c-Myc-30Kc19, L-Myc-30Kc19, and Klf4-30Kc19) were produced as recombinant proteins. Interestingly, Oct4 and L-Myc were expressed as a soluble form by conjugating with 30Kc19 protein, whereas Oct4 alone and L-Myc alone aggregated. The 30Kc19 protein also enhanced the stability of transcription factors both in vitro and in cells. In addition, 30Kc19-conjugated transcription factors showed rapid delivery into cells and transcriptional activity significantly increased. Overall, 30Kc19 protein conjugation simultaneously enhanced soluble expression, stability, and transcriptional activity of transcription factors. We propose that the conjugation with 30Kc19 protein is a novel approach to solve the technical bottleneck of gene regulation using transcription factors.OAIID:RECH_ACHV_DSTSH_NO:T201623709RECH_ACHV_FG:RR00200001ADJUST_YN:EMP_ID:A002014CITE_RATE:3.376FILENAME:2. (2016.04) Soluble expression and stability enhancement of.pdfDEPT_NM:화학생물공학부EMAIL:[email protected]_YN:YFILEURL:https://srnd.snu.ac.kr/eXrepEIR/fws/file/0df54ee9-e9f1-4612-9d6e-6deaa8197e3e/linkCONFIRM:

Identification of restoration species for early roadcut slope regeneration using functional group approach

Current restoration protocols for roadside cut slopes in South Korea involve hydroseeding with exotic species to achieve early greening and soil stabilization. However, exotic species can negatively affect adjacent native ecosystems. This study investigated the functional traits of early colonizers in slope restoration and surrounding environments to inform restoration methods that generate similar communities as those of native ecosystems. Slope vegetation (species density, species cover, upperstory species, canopy cover) and environment (aspect, angle, soil properties) were surveyed from the road edge to the forest boundary, and were classified as three distinct zones: a hydroseeded slope, a transition zone, and the forest edge. Naturally occurring species were classified into functional groups to examine dominant traits during early colonization. Hemicryptophyte or geophyte forest species and forest interior woody species were well established and dominant in transition zones and cut slopes. Potential native species for slope restoration can be identified by examining functional group species in the adjacent forest. These native species can achieve restoration goals and block invasive species in the same functional group. Festuca arundinacea (tall fescue), which is reported as an invasive alien species, rapidly spread after introduction for restoration. Thus, continuous monitoring for impact on native communities is required after sowing invasive alien species. Future slope restoration should consider native woody species and perennial forest sedge species that develop rhizomes, and reconsider the use of tall fescue. This study indicates that cut slopes can be appropriately managed to enhance the quality of habitats for native species.N

Comparison of infarct-related artery vs multivessel revascularization in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction with multivessel disease: Analysis from Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry

Background: Many ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients have multivessel disease. There is still controversy in treatment strategy in STEMI patients with multivessel disease. We compared clinical outcomes of multivessel revascularization with infarct- related artery (IRA) revascularization in STEMI patients. Methods: The 1,644 STEMI patients with multivessel disease (1,106 in IRA group, 538 in multivessel group) who were received primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were analyzed from a nationwide Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry. Primary endpoint was 12-month major adverse cardiac events (MACE, defined as death, myocardial infarction, and repeated revascularization). Secondary endpoints were 1-month MACE and each component, stent thrombosis during 12 month follow-up, and each components of the 12-month MACE. Results: There were more patients with unfavorable baseline conditions in IRA group. 12-month MACE occurred in 165 (14.9%) patients in IRA group, 81 (15.1%) patients in multivessel group (p = 0.953). There were no statistical significance in the rate of 1-month MACE, each components of 1-month MACE, and stent thrombosis during 12 month follow-up. Each components of 12-month MACE were occurred similarly in both groups except for target lesion revascularization (2.4% in IRA group vs 5.9% in multivessel group, p < 0.0001). After adjusting for confounding factors, multivessel revascularization was not associated with reduced 12-month MACE (OR 1.096, 95% CI 0.676&#8211;1.775, p = 0.711). Conclusions: There were no significant differences in clinical outcomes between both groups except for high risk of target lesion revascularization in multivessel revascularization group

Cystamine induces AIF-mediated apoptosis through glutathione depletion

AbstractCystamine and its reduced form cysteamine showed protective effects in various models of neurodegenerative disease, including Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. Other lines of evidence demonstrated the cytotoxic effect of cysteamine on duodenal mucosa leading to ulcer development. However, the mechanism for cystamine cytotoxicity remains poorly understood. Here, we report a new pathway in which cystamine induces apoptosis by targeting apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF). By screening of various cell lines, we observed that cystamine and cysteamine induce cell death in a cell type-specific manner. Comparison between cystamine-sensitive and cystamine-resistant cell lines revealed that cystamine cytotoxicity is not associated with unfolded protein response, reactive oxygen species generation and transglutaminase or caspase activity; rather, it is associated with the ability of cystamine to trigger AIF nuclear translocation. In cystamine-sensitive cells, cystamine suppresses the levels of intracellular glutathione by inhibiting γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase expression that triggers AIF translocation. Conversely, glutathione supplementation completely prevents cystamine-induced AIF translocation and apoptosis. In rats, cysteamine administration induces glutathione depletion and AIF translocation leading to apoptosis of duodenal epithelium. These results indicate that AIF translocation through glutathione depletion is the molecular mechanism of cystamine toxicity, and provide important implications for cystamine in the neurodegenerative disease therapeutics as well as in the regulation of AIF-mediated cell death