EnvironmetaI Education through Outdoor Education

1996Environmental problems are mounting at an unprecedented rate in our society. The news media reported recently that fish died by hundreds of thousands in a river due to waterborne toxic wastes which were illegally discharged into a river. The large Shi-hwa lake, a reclaimed lake in tidal area on the west coast near the city of Ansan, where one of the largest industrial estates in the capital region is located, had to release its water back into the ocean because the water was so polluted by waterborne industrial wastes and municipal wastes that it could not be irrigated onto farm land. These are only some of examples to indicate how our environmental problems are increasingly serious, not only by a few industrial plant managers' illegal actions and by our negligent administrative practices in applying strict environmental laws against illegal and harmful environmental damages, but also by the irresponsible behavior of the public in general

Dual Fistulas of Ascending Aorta and Coronary Artery to Pulmonary Artery

Coronary artery fistula to pulmonary artery is common. However, to the best of our knowledge, a case of coronary artery fistula to pulmonary artery associated with aortopulmonary fistula remains unreported. We herein report a 64-year-old female with a left anterior descending coronary artery and ascending aorta to pulmonary artery fistulas, and conduct a brief review of the literature

Variation block-based genomics method for crop plants

BACKGROUND: In contrast with wild species, cultivated crop genomes consist of reshuffled recombination blocks, which occurred by crossing and selection processes. Accordingly, recombination block-based genomics analysis can be an effective approach for the screening of target loci for agricultural traits. RESULTS: We propose the variation block method, which is a three-step process for recombination block detection and comparison. The first step is to detect variations by comparing the short-read DNA sequences of the cultivar to the reference genome of the target crop. Next, sequence blocks with variation patterns are examined and defined. The boundaries between the variation-containing sequence blocks are regarded as recombination sites. All the assumed recombination sites in the cultivar set are used to split the genomes, and the resulting sequence regions are termed variation blocks. Finally, the genomes are compared using the variation blocks. The variation block method identified recurring recombination blocks accurately and successfully represented block-level diversities in the publicly available genomes of 31 soybean and 23 rice accessions. The practicality of this approach was demonstrated by the identification of a putative locus determining soybean hilum color. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the variation block method is an efficient genomics method for the recombination block-level comparison of crop genomes. We expect that this method will facilitate the development of crop genomics by bringing genomics technologies to the field of crop breeding

Variation block-based genomics method for crop plants

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.Abstract Background In contrast with wild species, cultivated crop genomes consist of reshuffled recombination blocks, which occurred by crossing and selection processes. Accordingly, recombination block-based genomics analysis can be an effective approach for the screening of target loci for agricultural traits. Results We propose the variation block method, which is a three-step process for recombination block detection and comparison. The first step is to detect variations by comparing the short-read DNA sequences of the cultivar to the reference genome of the target crop. Next, sequence blocks with variation patterns are examined and defined. The boundaries between the variation-containing sequence blocks are regarded as recombination sites. All the assumed recombination sites in the cultivar set are used to split the genomes, and the resulting sequence regions are termed variation blocks. Finally, the genomes are compared using the variation blocks. The variation block method identified recurring recombination blocks accurately and successfully represented block-level diversities in the publicly available genomes of 31 soybean and 23 rice accessions. The practicality of this approach was demonstrated by the identification of a putative locus determining soybean hilum color. Conclusions We suggest that the variation block method is an efficient genomics method for the recombination block-level comparison of crop genomes. We expect that this method will facilitate the development of crop genomics by bringing genomics technologies to the field of crop breeding

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

Background: Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality. // Methods: We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis. // Findings: We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36–39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3–3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88–4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59–2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04–1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4–5 vs ASA 1–2, 1·82 [1·40–2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1–2, 1·58, [1·30–1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02–1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41–2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05–1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47–0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50–0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48–1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality. // Interpretation: Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030

-移住와 판련한 住E힘形顯의 選好에 관한 昭究- Mobile Home 居住者들의 경우

都市住宅 형태는 각 家口의 주택선정에 관한 행위의 한 표현이다. 비록 한 개인의 영향은 미미한 것이라 할지라도, 이들의 집합은 전체적으로 보면 都市景觀의 특징을 나타낸다. 도시 지역에서 居住地 이동에 관한 연구는 많이 행해졌다. 이들 연구는 주로 각 개인이 다른 장소로 移住를 결정하는데 영향을 주는 요인들을, 또는 그 결정과정에 미치는 사항들을 분석하는데 주로 관심을 가졌다. 그러나 한 住宅 형태에서 다른 형태로의 移住에 관한 연구는 거의 없었다. 이러한 移住는 한 家庭의 필요와 欲求의 변화를 충족시키는 중요한 과정의 하나이다. 도시계획이나, 토지이용계획에서 각 주택형태의 수요를 정확히 예측할 수 있음이 필요하고, 각 개인의 상이한 주택형태의 선택에 영향을 주는 요인을 이해하는 것은 효과적인 토지이용 계획을 수립하는데 크게 공헌할 수 있다. 이 연구의 목적은 도시지역에서 한 주택형태에서 다른 형태로 移住하는데 미치는 중요한 요인을 분석하는 것이다. 이 조사에는 미국 테네씨주의 Blount 카운티 및 Knox 카운티에 거주하고 있던 280명의 mobile home 居住者를 대상으로 질문지를 사용한 개별면담에 의한 자료를 사용하였다. 이들 자료를 大別하면, 세대주의 연령, 주택환경, 세대주의 사회적 및 경제적 사실, 住宅立地, 그리고 현재의 주택을 선택한 기타 이유에 관한 사항들이다. Discriminant 분석 방법을 사용한 이 연구는 두 가지로 나누어져 있다 : 그중 하나는 과거의 주택형태에서 현재의 주택형태에로의 移住 ; 다른 한나는 현재의 주택에서 이사를 갈 경우 희망하는 주택형태에 관한 분석이다

Apoptotic death of prostate cancer cells by a gonadotropin-releasing hormone-II antagonist.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone-I (GnRH-I) has attracted strong attention as a hormonal therapeutic tool, particularly for androgen-dependent prostate cancer patients. However, the androgen-independency of the cancer in advanced stages has spurred researchers to look for new medical treatments. In previous reports, we developed the GnRH-II antagonist Trp-1 to inhibit proliferation and stimulate the autophagic death of various prostate cancer cells, including androgen-independent cells. We further screened many GnRH-II antagonists to identify molecules with higher efficiency. Here, we investigated the effect of SN09-2 on the growth of PC3 prostate cancer cells. SN09-2 reduced the growth of prostate cancer cells but had no effect on cells derived from other tissues. Compared with Trp-1, SN09-2 conspicuously inhibited prostate cancer cell growth, even at low concentrations. SN09-2-induced PC3 cell growth inhibition was associated with decreased membrane potential in mitochondria where the antagonist was accumulated, and increased mitochondrial and cytosolic reactive oxygen species. SN09-2 induced lactate dehydrogenase release into the media and annexin V-staining on the PC3 cell surface, suggesting that the antagonist stimulated prostate cancer cell death by activating apoptotic signaling pathways. Furthermore, cytochrome c release from mitochondria to the cytosol and caspase-3 activation occurred in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. SN09-2 also inhibited the growth of PC3 cells xenotransplanted into nude mice. These results demonstrate that SN09-2 directly induces mitochondrial dysfunction and the consequent ROS generation, leading to not only growth inhibition but also apoptosis of prostate cancer cells

SN09-2 stimulates cytochrome c release from mitochondria and caspase-3 activation.

<p>(A–D) Western blotting of cytochrome c in the cytosolic and mitochondrial fractions (A, C) PC3 cells were treated with different concentrations of SN09-2 for 24 h and fractionated into cytosol and mitochondria. 20 µg lysates from each fraction were used for SDS-PAGE and western blotting with anti-cytochrome c antibodies. (B, D) Cells treated with 10 µM SN09-2 were harvested at different time points, and then fractionated. (C, D) The signal intensity of each blot was measured and shown as graphs (E) PC3 cells treated with 10 µM SN09-2 were harvested at different time points, and used for western blotting with anti-caspase-3 or a cleaved form of caspase-3 antibodies. The amount of loaded proteins was normalized with anti-β-actin antibodies. (F) SN09-2-treated PC3 cells on cover slips were labeled with antibodies for active cleaved caspase-3 and anti-β-actin, and then briefly stained with Hoechst33342. Fluorescence signals were observed under a confocal microscope.</p

Subcellular localization of SN09-2 in PC3 cells.

<p>Cells were incubated with FITC-conjugated SN09-2 and MitoTracker. After washing, the cells were briefly labeled with Hoechst33342 (for nucleus staining). The images were taken under a confocal microscope. Red: MitoTracker, Green: FITC-SN09-2, Blue: Hoechst33342</p

SN09-2 inhibits prostate cancer cell growth.

<p>(A) Molecular sequences of GnRH-II, Trp-1, and SN09-2 (B) PC3 cells were incubated in RPMI media containing various concentrations of FBS and exposed to 10 µM SN09-2 for 4 days. The number of viable cells was counted under a light microscope. (C) PC3, Du145, LNCaP, HeLa, and DLD1 cells were incubated with 5% FBS media containing 10 mM SN09-2 or DMSO for 3 days. (D) PC3 cells were treated with different concentrations of Trp-1 or SN09-2 for 3 days, and then viable cells were counted under the light microscope. The cell number of each group was compared with the DMSO-treated group. CTL: DMSO-treated. (E) PC3 cells were treated with various concentrations of SN09-2 for 3 days. Using culture supernatants from each group, LDH activity was determined as described in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0099723#s2" target="_blank">Materials and Methods</a>. Data are means ± S.E. *, <i>p<</i>0.05; **, <i>p<</i>0.01, versus control.</p