The Impact of Calcium Depletion on Proliferation of Chlorella sorokiniana Strain DSCG150.

This study analyzed the effects of Ca2+ metal ions among culture medium components on the Chlorella sorokiniana strain DSCG150 strain cell growth. The C. sorokiniana strain DSCG150 strain grew based on a multiple fission cell cycle and growth became stagnant in the absence of metal ions in the medium, particularly Ca2+. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopic image analysis results showed that in the absence of Ca2+, cell growth became stagnant as the cells accumulated into four autospores and could not transform into daughter cells. Genetic analysis showed that the absence of Ca2+ caused upregulation of calmodulin (calA) and cell division control protein 2 (CDC2_1) genes, and downregulation of origin of replication complex subunit 6 (ORC6) and dual specificity protein phosphatase CDC14A (CDC14A) genes. Analysis of gene expression patterns by qRT-PCR showed that the absence of Ca2+ did not affect cell cycle progression up to 4n autospore, but it inhibited Chlorella cell fission (liberation of autospores). The addition of Ca2+ to cells cultivated in the absence of Ca2+ resulted in an increase in n cell population, leading to the resumption of C. sorokiniana growth. These findings suggest that Ca2+ plays a crucial role in the fission process in Chlorella.

Development and application of artificial intelligence-based facial skin image diagnosis system: Changes in facial skin characteristics with ageing in Korean women.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate an artificial intelligence (AI)-based diagnostic system for analysing facial skin images using expert judgements and explore its feasibility for skin ageing research, specifically by evaluating facial skin changes in Korean women of various ages. METHODS: Our AI-based facial skin diagnosis system (Dr. AMORE®) uses facial images of Korean women to analyse wrinkles, pigmentation, skin pores, and other skin red spots. The system is trained using clinical expert evaluations and deep learning. We assessed the system's precision and sensitivity by analysing the correlation between the diagnoses by the AI system and those of the experts. We used 120 images of Korean women aged 10-60 years to evaluate the changes in various facial skin characteristics with ageing. RESULTS: The precision and sensitivity of the developed system were excellent (>0.9%), and the diagnosis scores using the detected area and intensity of each item were correlated significantly higher with the visual evaluation results of the clinical experts (>0.8, p < 0.001). We also analysed facial images of Korean women aged 10-60 years to quantify changes in the scores of wrinkles, pigmentation, and skin pores with age. We identified the age group with the most significant changes as 20s to 30s. Analysis of the detailed skin characteristics of each item showed that wrinkles and pigmentation changed significantly in the 20s-30s, and skin pores increased significantly in the 10s-20s. There was no significant correlation with age or change according to the age group for skin red spots. CONCLUSION: Developed AI-based facial skin diagnosis system can automatically diagnose skin conditions based on clinical expert judgement using only photographic images and analyse various items in detail, quantitatively, and visually. This AI system can provide new and useful approaches in research areas that require a lot of resources and different characterizations, such as the study of facial skin ageing.

OBJECTIF: Développer et valider un système de diagnostic basé sur l'intelligence artificielle (IA) pour analyser les images de la peau du visage à l'aide de jugements d'experts et explorer sa faisabilité pour la recherche sur le vieillissement de la peau, en particulier en évaluant les changements de la peau du visage chez les femmes Coréennes de différents âges. MÉTHODES: Notre système de diagnostic de la peau du visage basé sur l'intelligence artificielle (Dr. AMORE®) utilise des images du visage de femmes Coréennes pour analyser les rides, la pigmentation, les pores de la peau et d'autres taches rouges de la peau. Le système est entraîné à l'aide d'évaluations d'experts cliniques et de l'apprentissage profond. Nous avons évalué la précision et la sensibilité du système en analysant la corrélation entre les diagnostics du système d'IA et ceux des experts. Nous avons utilisé 120 images de femmes coréennes âgées de 10 à 60 ans pour évaluer les changements de diverses caractéristiques de la peau du visage avec le vieillissement. RÉSULTATS: la précision et la sensibilité du système développé étaient excellentes (>0.9%), et les scores de diagnostic utilisant la zone détectée et l'intensité de chaque élément étaient corrélés de manière significativement plus élevée avec les résultats de l'évaluation visuelle des experts cliniques (>.8, p < 0.001). Nous avons également analysé des images du visage de femmes coréennes âgées de 10 à 60 ans afin de quantifier les changements dans les scores des rides, de la pigmentation et des pores de la peau avec l'âge. Nous avons identifié le groupe d'âge présentant les changements les plus significatifs comme étant celui des 20­30 ans. L'analyse des caractéristiques détaillées de la peau pour chaque élément a montré que les rides et la pigmentation changeaient de manière significative chez les 20­30 ans, et que les pores de la peau augmentaient de manière significative chez les 10­20 ans. Il n'y avait pas de corrélation significative avec l'âge ou de changement en fonction du groupe d'âge pour les taches rouges de la peau. CONCLUSION: Le système de diagnostic de la peau du visage basé sur l'IA peut diagnostiquer automatiquement les affections cutanées sur la base d'un jugement d'expert clinique en utilisant uniquement des images photographiques et analyser divers éléments en détail, quantitativement et visuellement. Ce système d'IA peut fournir des approches nouvelles et utiles dans des domaines de recherché qui nécessitent beaucoup de ressources et de caractérisations différentes, comme l'étude du vieillissement de la peau du visage.

Study for skin gloss perception using computer modulation and frequency separation on surface reflection.

OBJECTIVE: Skin gloss is a parameter of beauty and health and is used to evaluate the efficacy of makeup or skin care products. Skin gloss is a perception-based characteristic, which yet needs to be evaluated quantitatively and objectively. This study aimed to investigate the factors affecting the perception of matte, glossiness and greasiness on Korean women's skin, focusing on the effect of surface reflection. METHODS: In this study, a visual evaluation of skin gloss was performed using modulated images that combined facial reference (normal) images with images characterized by 64 different levels of surface reflection to investigate factors that might affect the perception of matte, glossy and greasy skin. Fifteen participants classified the respective images into three categories (matte, glossy and greasy), and the intensity of each image was rated using a three-point scale (weak, moderate or strong). A multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed using 960 data points (n = 64 × 15). A high-frequency average + 1 standard deviation (SD = 4) was set as the criterion for a highly glossy object. RESULTS: A significant difference was found between the three categories considering four parameters: low-frequency mean (LFM) and SD (LFSD) and high-frequency mean (HFM) and SD (HFSD). The results of the multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that LFM and HFSD were significant influencing factors for perceiving matte, glossiness and greasiness. As the LFM and HFSD of the images increased, perception changed from matte, to glossy and greasy. Further, the total number and total area of highly glossy objects were significantly different among the three categories. CONCLUSION: We identified four different factors related to perceiving matte, glossiness and greasiness on the faces of Korean women, including the LFM and HFSD of surface reflection, as well as the number of highly glossy objects and the area of surface reflection. Furthermore, we identified evenness of shine as a key factor for the perception of greasiness. These parameters could be useful for distinguishing skin gloss and for a quantitative evaluation of greasiness.

OBJECTIF: L'éclat de la peau est un paramètre de beauté et de santé, et est utilisé pour évaluer l'efficacité des produits de maquillage ou de soins de la peau. L'éclat de la peau est une caractéristique basée sur la perception, qui doit pourtant être évaluée quantitativement et objectivement. Cette étude visait à examiner les facteurs affectant la perception de la matité, de l'éclat et du caractère graisseux sur la peau de femmes coréennes, en se concentrant sur l'effet de la réflexion de surface. MÉTHODES: Dans cette étude, une évaluation visuelle de l'éclat de la peau a été réalisée à l'aide d'images modulées combinant des images de référence du visage (normales) et des images caractérisées par 64 niveaux différents de réflexion de surface afin d'étudier les facteurs susceptibles d'affecter la perception d'une peau mate, brillante et grasse. Quinze participants ont classé les images respectives en trois catégories (peau mate, brillante et grasse), et l'intensité de chaque image a été évaluée sur une échelle de trois points (faible, modérée ou forte). Une analyse de régression logistique multinomiale a été réalisée à partir de 960 points de données (n = 64 x 15). Une moyenne de haute fréquence + 1 écart type (ET = 4) a été définie comme critère pour un objet très brillant. RÉSULTATS: Une différence significative a été constatée entre les trois catégories en tenant compte de quatre paramètres : la moyenne des basses fréquences (MBF) et l'ET (ETBF), et la moyenne des hautes fréquences (MHF) et l'ET (ETHF). Les résultats de l'analyse de régression logistique multinomiale ont montré que la MBF et l'ETHF étaient des facteurs d'influence significatifs pour percevoir la matité, l'éclat et le caractère graisseux. Au fur et à mesure que la MBF et l'ETHF des images augmentaient, la perception passait de « mate ¼ à « brillante ¼ et « grasse ¼. En outre, le nombre total et la surface totale des objets très brillants étaient significativement différents dans les trois catégories. CONCLUSION: Nous avons identifié quatre facteurs différents liés à la perception de la matité, de l'éclat et du caractère graisseux sur le visage de femmes coréennes, notamment la MBF et l'ETHF de la réflexion de surface, ainsi que le nombre d'objets très brillants et la zone de la réflexion de surface. En outre, nous avons identifié l'uniformité de l'éclat comme un facteur clé de la perception du caractère graisseux. Ces paramètres pourraient être utiles pour distinguer l'éclat de la peau et pour une évaluation quantitative du caractère graisseux.

A long term study of the difference in efficacy and effect rate of various concentrations of retinol (1500-6600 IU) in middle aged women.

Retinol is widely used for topical application for antiaging. However, the efficacy and effect rate of different concentrations of retinol have been rarely analyzed. Therefore, in this study, the efficacy and rate of effect of retinol concentrations from 1500 to 6600 IU, on various skin parameters, have been compared. Seventy-two Korean women aged 40-59 years participated in this study. Retinol was used by them for 24 weeks; the effects were measured at 0, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks. The measurement parameters for aging were crow's feet, forehead wrinkles, nasolabial fold, dermal density, and elasticity and that for skin color were skin brightness, yellowness, redness, and standard deviation of skin brightness. The texture of the skin was measured by measuring the skin roughness and pores, and the skin barrier function was evaluated through hydration, sebum, and desquamation. Low concentration retinol (1500-2500 IU) had a significantly higher effect in skin color, brightness, and elasticity and faster improvement rate in skin brightness and elasticity compared to that for high concentration (3300-6600 IU). High concentration of retinol had a significantly higher effect in wrinkles, dermal density and pores and faster improvement rate for wrinkles, skin texture, pores, and desquamation compared to that for low concentration. This study evaluated the changes caused by different concentration of retinol over a long period of time. The results of this study have great implications as the optimal concentration of retinol can be prescribed for an accurate period for the desired results without side effects.

Light-FER: A Lightweight Facial Emotion Recognition System on Edge Devices.

Facial emotion recognition (FER) systems are imperative in recent advanced artificial intelligence (AI) applications to realize better human-computer interactions. Most deep learning-based FER systems have issues with low accuracy and high resource requirements, especially when deployed on edge devices with limited computing resources and memory. To tackle these problems, a lightweight FER system, called Light-FER, is proposed in this paper, which is obtained from the Xception model through model compression. First, pruning is performed during the network training to remove the less important connections within the architecture of Xception. Second, the model is quantized to half-precision format, which could significantly reduce its memory consumption. Third, different deep learning compilers performing several advanced optimization techniques are benchmarked to further accelerate the inference speed of the FER system. Lastly, to experimentally demonstrate the objectives of the proposed system on edge devices, Light-FER is deployed on NVIDIA Jetson Nano.

Evaluation of changes in skin characteristics due to the poor quality of sleep caused by smartphone usage.

BACKGROUND: Blue wavelengths are thought to have an effect on circadian rhythms. Using a smartphone, which emits a 453 nm blue light, can worsen the quality of sleep. AIMS: To study the skin changes caused by poor sleep quality induced by smartphone usage. METHODS: The participants were 22 Korean women aged 20-39 years, with no sleep problems and a Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score of <5. The participants used a smartphone for 2 h before normal sleep hours. The measurement points were as follows: after a good sleep (D0), after bad sleep day 1 (D1), after bad sleep day 3 (D3), and after bad sleep day 7 (D7). The sleep time, wake-up time, shallow sleep rate, and sleeping time duration were recorded using a smartwatch. RESULTS: The quality of their sleep deteriorated. The average time of falling asleep extended to 2 a.m., which was about 34 min later. Additionally, their skin moisture content decreased, and sebum content increased. Skin desquamation was increased, and skin gloss, transparency, and elasticity decreased mainly on the skin surface. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep quality decreases with smartphone usage among people who do not usually use their smartphones before going to sleep and do not have any sleep problems. The results showed significant changes in skin optics and surface properties when the quality of sleep was degraded for 7 days.

Efficacy of ethyl ascorbyl ether-containing cosmetic cream on blue light-induced skin changes.

BACKGROUND: Office workers are consistently exposed to blue light, mainly from sunlight and digital device. Recent studies report that blue light has various harmful effects, including cellular changes via reactive oxygen species. Studies on blue light-induced skin changes have only been conducted in vitro and have not been clinically confirmed. OBJECTIVE: We provide novel methods to evaluate the effect of the product on the recovery of skin changed by blue light. METHODS: Internet surveys were conducted for workers in their 20s and 40s regarding exposure time to blue light in various environments. To study the effects of long-term exposure to blue light (456 nm) on the skin, we designed three light intensity conditions, and various skin characteristics were observed. After blue light irradiation, various skin characteristics were analyzed before and after applying ethyl ascorbyl ether (EAE)-containing cosmetic cream for 2 weeks. RESULTS: When exposed to strong blue light for approximately 16 days, the L* value, skin hydration, transparency, and elasticity decreased, and the melanin index, erythema index, a* value, and b* value increased. Furthermore, after short-term blue light irradiation (dose, 269 J/cm2 , the equivalent of blue light exposure for approximately 38 days in daily life), the L* value and elasticity decreased, and the melanin index and erythema index increased. However, when EAE cream was applied on skin for 1-2 weeks, the skin recovered. CONCLUSION: This study clinically confirms the skin changes caused by blue light and the effect of EAE in relieving such changes.

Skin characteristics following repeated exposure to simulated outdoor and indoor summer temperatures in South Korea and Southeast Asia.

BACKGROUND: Although changes in skin depend on the external environment, researchers have performed only a few studies on effect of the actual environment. Most studies have researched skin characterization based on changes in the humidity or temperature. AIM/OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate changes in the skin based on the difference in indoor and outdoor temperatures and humidity during summer in South Korea and Southeast Asia. METHODS: Twenty-two female participants aged 25-39 years were included. Skin hydration, sebum (cheek, forehead), colour, transparency and pores of the participants were measured after a 30-min exposure to high temperature and high humidity (HTHH) environment and a 30-min exposure to low temperature and low humidity (LTLH) environment. Subsequently, exposure to HTHH environment for 30 min +LTLH environment for 30 min was performed after a total of 1 h and repeated. RESULTS: Repeated exposure to HTHH and LTLH environments increased the skin's sebum content and haemoglobin index. Additionally, skin elasticity was significantly reduced, with patients in their 30 s showing greater changes than those in their 20 s. CONCLUSION: Repeated differences in temperature and humidity cause skin ageing, loosen skin vessels and reduce skin elasticity, thereby leading to skin ageing.

CONTEXTE: Bien que les changements cutanés dépendent de l'environnement extérieur, les chercheurs n'ont réalisé que quelques études sur l'effet réel de cet environnement. La plupart des études ont examiné les caractéristiques de la peau en fonction des changements d'humidité ou de température. BUT/OBJECTIF: Cette étude visait à évaluer les changements de la peau en fonction de la différence de température et d'humidité à l'intérieur et à l'extérieur pendant l'été en Corée du Sud et en Asie du Sud-Est. MÉTHODES: Vingt-deux femmes âgées de 25 à 39 ans ont participé. L'hydratation de la peau, le sébum (joues, front), la couleur, la transparence et les pores des participants ont été mesurés après une exposition de 30 min à une température élevée et à un environnement à forte humidité (« high temperature and high humidity ¼, HTHH) et une exposition de 30 min à une température faible et à un environnement à faible humidité (« low temperature and low humidity ¼, LTLH). Par la suite, l'exposition à l'environnement HTHH pendant 30 min + environnement LTLH pendant 30 min a été effectuée après une durée de 1 h, puis répétée. RÉSULTATS: L'exposition répétée aux environnements HTHH et LTLH a augmenté la teneur en sébum et l'indice d'hémoglobine de la peau. En outre, l'élasticité de la peau était significativement réduite, les patientes ayant dépassé la trentaine montrant des changements plus importants que celles dans la vingtaine. CONCLUSION: Les variations répétées de température et d'humidité provoquent le relâchement des vaisseaux cutanés et réduisent l'élasticité de la peau, aboutissant ainsi au vieillissement de la peau.

Clinical evaluation method for blue light (456 nm) protection of skin.

BACKGROUND: Blue light from electronic devices enriched with a peak at 456 nm affects circadian rhythm and antioxidant balance of skin, necessitating the study of photoprotection against the 456-nm blue light. AIMS: This study aims to report that blue light (456 nm) can cause skin pigmentation and proposes a new clinical evaluation method for blue light (456 nm) protection based on the skin pigmentation level. PATIENTS/METHODS: We developed a clinical device (ABC deviceTM ) that emits blue light (peak = 456 nm). Based on the minimal persistent pigment darkening dose (MPPD) determined from visual evaluation and melanin index measurements, we proposed the "protection grade of blue light (PB)" guideline to assess the protective ability of skin against blue light. RESULTS: Human skin irradiated with blue light (456 nm) showed a light dose-dependent degree of pigmentation. The MPPD on unprotected and protected skin was 135 J/cm2 or 180 J/cm2 and 135-225 J/cm2 , respectively. The ABC device™ and the proposed clinical method were used to test the four blue light blocking assessments of TiO2 . Consequently, the inorganic filter with TiO2 effectively blocked the blue light (456 nm). The AP product demonstrated the ability to block blue light by 1.15 times (PB = 1.15), which significantly lowered the melanin index of the skin after irradiation as compared to that of the unprotected skin (P < .001). CONCLUSION: We propose an objective clinical evaluation method for blue light protection. This study elucidates the properties of blue light blockers for customers suffering from blue light pollution.

When Collective Knowledge Meets Crowd Knowledge in a Smart City: A Prediction Method Combining Open Data Keyword Analysis and Case-Based Reasoning.

One of the significant issues in a smart city is maintaining a healthy environment. To improve the environment, huge amounts of data are gathered, manipulated, analyzed, and utilized, and these data might include noise, uncertainty, or unexpected mistreatment of the data. In some datasets, the class imbalance problem skews the learning performance of the classification algorithms. In this paper, we propose a case-based reasoning method that combines the use of crowd knowledge from open source data and collective knowledge. This method mitigates the class imbalance issues resulting from datasets, which diagnose wellness levels in patients suffering from stress or depression. We investigate effective ways to mitigate class imbalance issues in which the datasets have a higher proportion of one class over another. The results of this proposed hybrid reasoning method, using a combination of crowd knowledge extracted from open source data (i.e., a Google search, or other publicly accessible source) and collective knowledge (i.e., case-based reasoning), were that it performs better than other traditional methods (e.g., SMO, BayesNet, IBk, Logistic, C4.5, and crowd reasoning). We also demonstrate that the use of open source and big data improves the classification performance when used in addition to conventional classification algorithms.

Comparison of skin properties in individuals living in cities at two different altitudes: an investigation of the environmental effect on skin.

BACKGROUND: Skin properties vary depending on exogenous factors. Various studies have been used for comparing skin properties between cities for studying environment influence on skin properties. However, for comparison of skin properties between cities, various environmental factors have to be considered. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study therefore was to compare skin properties in individuals of the same ethnicity and sex (Indonesian women) between different altitudes and to interpret the environmental effect on skin. METHODS: In this study, we reanalyzed the data obtained from previous study. The data were for healthy Sundanese Indonesian females [(n = 136) at Jakarta (n = 49) and Bandung (n = 87)], and the data consisted of published data (skin hydration, sebum level, pH, elasticity, and transepidermal water loss) and unpublished data [skin color (L*, a*, and b*)]. The skin parameters were measured on Indonesian females aged 20-34 using C+K devices (corneometer, sebumeter, pH meter, and cutometer), Delfin vapometer, and Minolta spectrophotometer, respectively. RESULTS: Sundanese Jakarta (low-altitude) females had higher sebum level and greater redness (a*) value in the forehead than Sundanese Bandung (high-altitude) females. In contrast, Bandung females had higher skin pH, brighter skin color, and greater forehead skin elasticity than Jakarta females. CONCLUSIONS: The skin properties can be influenced by changing altitude because different altitudes have different environments such as air temperature, humidity, UV radiation, and so on, and it is also necessary to investigate the factors which can influence with perceived skin condition such as skin type and skin concerning.

Cluster-based query expansion using external collections in medical information retrieval.

Utilizing external collections to improve retrieval performance is challenging research because various test collections are created for different purposes. Improving medical information retrieval has also gained much attention as various types of medical documents have become available to researchers ever since they started storing them in machine processable formats. In this paper, we propose an effective method of utilizing external collections based on the pseudo relevance feedback approach. Our method incorporates the structure of external collections in estimating individual components in the final feedback model. Extensive experiments on three medical collections (TREC CDS, CLEF eHealth, and OHSUMED) were performed, and the results were compared with a representative expansion approach utilizing the external collections to show the superiority of our method.

Identifying key hospital service quality factors in online health communities.

BACKGROUND: The volume of health-related user-created content, especially hospital-related questions and answers in online health communities, has rapidly increased. Patients and caregivers participate in online community activities to share their experiences, exchange information, and ask about recommended or discredited hospitals. However, there is little research on how to identify hospital service quality automatically from the online communities. In the past, in-depth analysis of hospitals has used random sampling surveys. However, such surveys are becoming impractical owing to the rapidly increasing volume of online data and the diverse analysis requirements of related stakeholders. OBJECTIVE: As a solution for utilizing large-scale health-related information, we propose a novel approach to identify hospital service quality factors and overtime trends automatically from online health communities, especially hospital-related questions and answers. METHODS: We defined social media-based key quality factors for hospitals. In addition, we developed text mining techniques to detect such factors that frequently occur in online health communities. After detecting these factors that represent qualitative aspects of hospitals, we applied a sentiment analysis to recognize the types of recommendations in messages posted within online health communities. Korea's two biggest online portals were used to test the effectiveness of detection of social media-based key quality factors for hospitals. RESULTS: To evaluate the proposed text mining techniques, we performed manual evaluations on the extraction and classification results, such as hospital name, service quality factors, and recommendation types using a random sample of messages (ie, 5.44% (9450/173,748) of the total messages). Service quality factor detection and hospital name extraction achieved average F1 scores of 91% and 78%, respectively. In terms of recommendation classification, performance (ie, precision) is 78% on average. Extraction and classification performance still has room for improvement, but the extraction results are applicable to more detailed analysis. Further analysis of the extracted information reveals that there are differences in the details of social media-based key quality factors for hospitals according to the regions in Korea, and the patterns of change seem to accurately reflect social events (eg, influenza epidemics). CONCLUSIONS: These findings could be used to provide timely information to caregivers, hospital officials, and medical officials for health care policies.

Optimization of culture media for large-scale lutein production by heterotrophic Chlorella vulgaris.

Lutein is a carotenoid with a purported role in protecting eyes from oxidative stress, particularly the high-energy photons of blue light. Statistical optimization was performed to growth media that supports a higher production of lutein by heterotrophically cultivated Chlorella vulgaris. The effect of media composition of C. vulgaris on lutein was examined using fractional factorial design (FFD) and central composite design (CCD). The results indicated that the presence of magnesium sulfate, EDTA-2Na, and trace metal solution significantly affected lutein production. The optimum concentrations for lutein production were found to be 0.34 g/L, 0.06 g/L, and 0.4 mL/L for MgSO4 ·7H2 O, EDTA-2Na, and trace metal solution, respectively. These values were validated using a 5-L jar fermenter. Lutein concentration was increased by almost 80% (139.64 ± 12.88 mg/L to 252.75 ± 12.92 mg/L) after 4 days. Moreover, the lutein concentration was not reduced as the cultivation was scaled up to 25,000 L (260.55 ± 3.23 mg/L) and 240,000 L (263.13 ± 2.72 mg/L). These observations suggest C. vulgaris as a potential lutein source.

Investigating the congruence of crowdsourced information with official government data: the case of pediatric clinics.

BACKGROUND: Health 2.0 is a benefit to society by helping patients acquire knowledge about health care by harnessing collective intelligence. However, any misleading information can directly affect patients' choices of hospitals and drugs, and potentially exacerbate their health condition. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the congruence between crowdsourced information and official government data in the health care domain and identifies the determinants of low congruence where it exists. In-line with infodemiology, we suggest measures to help the patients in the regions vulnerable to inaccurate health information. METHODS: We text-mined multiple online health communities in South Korea to construct the data for crowdsourced information on public health services (173,748 messages). Kendall tau and Spearman rank order correlation coefficients were used to compute the differences in 2 ranking systems of health care quality: actual government evaluations of 779 hospitals and mining results of geospecific online health communities. Then we estimated the effect of sociodemographic characteristics on the level of congruence by using an ordinary least squares regression. RESULTS: The regression results indicated that the standard deviation of married women's education (P=.046), population density (P=.01), number of doctors per pediatric clinic (P=.048), and birthrate (P=.002) have a significant effect on the congruence of crowdsourced data (adjusted R²=.33). Specifically, (1) the higher the birthrate in a given region, (2) the larger the variance in educational attainment, (3) the higher the population density, and (4) the greater the number of doctors per clinic, the more likely that crowdsourced information from online communities is congruent with official government data. CONCLUSIONS: To investigate the cause of the spread of misleading health information in the online world, we adopted a unique approach by associating mining results on hospitals from geospecific online health communities with the sociodemographic characteristics of corresponding regions. We found that the congruence of crowdsourced information on health care services varied across regions and that these variations could be explained by geospecific demographic factors. This finding can be helpful to governments in reducing the potential risk of misleading online information and the accompanying safety issues.

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification for the rapid detection of Chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid (CChMVd).

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) is an established nucleic acid amplification method offering rapid, sensitive, and convenient diagnosis of infectious diseases. Chrysanthemum chlorotic mottle viroid (CChMVd) causes one of the most serious viral diseases in chrysanthemum in Korea. A sensitive LAMP assay was developed for rapidly detecting CChMVd infection. The assay was based on a set of four primers matching the specific region of the CChMVd genome. The CChMVd LAMP primer sets were designed using the sequences from nonsymptomatic and symptomatic CChMVd isolates in Korea. The efficiency and specificity of this method were optimized using Bst DNA polymerase, which allowed for increased viroid detection sensitivity. The reaction was carried out at 65 °C for 90 min, and was improved by adding SYBR Green I dye to the inside of the reaction tube lid prior to amplification. The results indicate that this LAMP method will be useful for chrysanthemum viroid disease monitoring and detecting CChMVd infectious disease.

Ascorbic acid alleviates toxicity of paclitaxel without interfering with the anticancer efficacy in mice.

Paclitaxel is used extensively as a chemotherapeutic agent against a broad range of tumors but often leads to the early termination of treatment due to severe toxic side effects. In this study, we hypothesized that ascorbic acid could reduce the toxic side effects without interfering with the anticancer effect of paclitaxel. To demonstrate this, we examined the effect of the combinational treatment of ascorbic acid and paclitaxel using H1299 (a non-small cell lung cancer cell line) and BALB/c mice implanted with or without sarcoma 180 cancer cells. In H1299 cells, the anticancer effects of the combinational treatment with paclitaxel and ascorbic acid were up to 1.7-foldhigher than those of single-agent paclitaxel treatment. In addition, it was shown that the viability of the HEL299 normal cells was up to 1.6-fold higher with the combinational treatment than with paclitaxel treatment alone. In vivo mouse experiments also showed that mice co-treated with paclitaxel and ascorbic acid did not exhibit the typical side effects induced by paclitaxel, such as a reduction in the numbers of white blood cells and red blood cells and the level of hemoglobin (P < .05). The analysis of cancer-related gene expression by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry revealed that the combinational treatment suppressed cancer cell multiplication. Taken together, these results suggest that combinational chemotherapy with ascorbic acid and paclitaxel not only does not block the anticancer effects of paclitaxel but also alleviates the cytotoxicity of paclitaxel in vivo and in vitro.

Expression analysis of proline metabolism-related genes from halophyte Arabis stelleri under osmotic stress conditions.

Arabis stelleri var. japonica evidenced stronger osmotic stress tolerance than Arabidopsis thaliana. Using an A. thaliana microarray chip, we determined changes in the expression of approximately 2 800 genes between A. stelleri plants treated with 0.2 M mannitol versus mock-treated plants. The most significant changes in the gene expression patterns were in genes defining cellular components or in genes associated with the endomembrane system, stimulus response, stress response, chemical stimulus response, and defense response. The expression patterns of three de novo proline biosynthesis enzymes were evaluated in A. stelleri var. japonica seedlings treated with 0.2 M mannitol, 0.2 M sorbitol, and 0.2 M NaCl. The expression of Δ¹ -pyrroline-5-carboxylate synthetase was not affected by NaCl stress but was similarly induced by mannitol and sorbitol. The proline dehydrogenase gene, which is known to be repressed by dehydration stress and induced by free L-proline, was induced at an early stage by mannitol treatment, but the level of proline dehydrogenase was increased later by treatment with both mannitol and NaCl. The level of free L-proline accumulation increased progressively in response to treatments with mannitol, sorbitol, and NaCl. Mannitol induced L-proline accumulation more rapidly than NaCl or sorbitol. These findings demonstrate that the osmotic tolerance of the novel halophyte, Arabis stelleri, is associated with the accumulation of L-proline.

Production of human hyaluronidase in a plant-derived protein expression system: plant-based transient production of active human hyaluronidase.

Four types of human hyaluronidases (rHuHyal-1, -2, -3 and -4) were transiently expressed and purified from Nicotiana benthamiana, and their biochemical characteristics were analyzed. The recombinant HuHyals were expressed via agrobacteria-mediated infiltration and generated and expressed in terms of micrograms per 5 leaves of N. benthamiana. Expressed recombinant HuHyals were purified using a His(6) tagging system and Ni column chromatography, respectively, at pH 8.0, after which the purified rHuHyals were concentrated for additional biochemical analyses. The four types of rHuHyals were allowed to react with hyaluronic acids and chondroitin sulfates. The biochemical properties of rHuHyal-1 fit those of the commercially available Hyal, PH-20, which was extracted from animal testes under acidic conditions (pH 3.5). However, rHuHyal-1 evidenced activity levels 2 to 6-fold greater than the three other rHuHyals (rHuHyal-2, -3 and -4) at pH 3.5. However, only rHuHyal-4 exhibited chondroitinase activity with both 6-S-chondroitin sulfate (chondroitin sulfate C) and 4-S-chondroitin sulfate (chondroitin sulfate A) as standard substrates. The results of zymography demonstrated that recombinant HuHyal 1 was modified by glycosylation, but Escherichia coli Hyal was not. This result demonstrated that plant-based rHuHyal was functionally active and evidenced biochemical characteristics and post-translational protein modifications similar to those of animal testis-derived Hyal.

Production of recombinant single chain antibodies (scFv) in vegetatively reproductive Kalanchoe pinnata by in planta transformation.

We developed an asexual reproductive plant, Kalanchoe pinnata, as a new bioreactor for plant-based molecular farming using a newly developed transformation method. Leaf crenate margins were pin-pricked to infect the plant with the Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 and vacuum infiltration was also applied to introduce the target gene into the plants. Subsequently, the young mother leaf produced new clones at the leaf crenate margins without the need for time- and labor-consuming tissue culture procedures. The average transformation rates were approximately 77 and 84% for pin-prickling and vacuum-infiltration methods, respectively. To functionally characterize an introduced target protein, a nucleic acid hydrolyzing recombinant 3D8 scFv was selected and the plant based 3D8 scFv proteins were purified and analyzed. Based on abzyme analysis, the purified protein expressed with this system had catalytic activity and exhibited all of properties of the protein produced in an E. coli system. This result suggested that vegetatively reproductive K. pinnata can be a novel and potent bioreactor for bio-pharmaceutical proteins.