Actin depolymerizing factor destrin governs cell migration in neural development during Xenopus embryogenesis.

The actin-based cytoskeleton is considered a fundamental driving force for cell differentiation and development. Destrin (dstn), a member of the actin depolymerizing factor family, regulates actin dynamics by treadmilling actin filaments and increasing globular actin pools. However, the specific developmental roles of dstn have yet to be fully elucidated. Here, we investigated the physiological functions of dstn during early embryonic development using Xenopus laevis as an experimental model organism. dstn is expressed in anterior neural tissue and neural plate during Xenopus embryogenesis. Depleting dstn promoted morphants with short body axes and small heads. Moreover, dstn inhibition extended the neural plate region, impairing cell migration and distribution during neurulation. In addition to the neural plate, dstn knockdown perturbed neural crest cell migration. Our data suggest new insights for understanding the roles of actin dynamics in embryonic neural development, simultaneously presenting a new challenge for studying the complex networks governing cell migration involving actin dynamics.

The impact of CDCA5 expression on the immune microenvironment and its potential utility as a biomarker for PD-L1/PD-1 inhibitors in lung adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Studies have highlighted the important role of cell division cycle associated 5 (CDCA5) in tumor-associated immune dysfunction. We studied immune dysfunction based on CDCA5 expression in lung adenocarcinoma and investigated its potential as a biomarker for patients undergoing anti-programmed death protein-1/ programmed death ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1) inhibitor therapy. METHODS: We used the CIBERSORTx algorithm to investigate the immune cell distribution based on CDCA5 and explored its potential as a biomarker for PD-1/PD-L1 therapy using Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion in three lung adenocarcinoma datasets. Thus, we validated the role of CDCA5 as a biomarker in patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. We also investigated the pathways through which CDCA5 regulates PD-L1 expression in a cell line. RESULTS: The high CDCA5 expression group showed elevated interferon gamma signature, CD274 expression, CD8+ T cell levels, tumor mutation burden, and microsatellite instability. Higher CDCA5 expression was associated with poorer prognosis in patients not treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. However, in patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors, higher CDCA5 expression correlated with better response rates and prognosis. CDCA5 expression positively correlated with inhibitory immune checkpoint molecules. CDCA5 regulated the expression of PD-L1 through the ANXA/AKT pathway, and combined suppression of CDCA5 and PD-L1 synergistically inhibited cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: CDCA5 served as a promising biomarker for patients undergoing PD-L1/PD-1 inhibitor treatment, and co-inhibition of CDCA5 and PD-L1 could serve as an effective therapeutic strategy.

Impaired inhibitory control when processing real but not cartoon emotional faces in autistic children: Evidence from an event-related potential study.

Impaired socioemotional functioning characterizes autistic children, but does weak inhibition control underlie their socioemotional difficulty? This study addressed this question by examining whether and, if so, how inhibition control is affected by face realism and emotional valence in school-age autistic and neurotypical children. Fifty-two autistic and 52 age-matched neurotypical controls aged 10-12 years completed real and cartoon emotional face Go/Nogo tasks while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. The analyses of inhibition-emotion components (i.e., N2, P3, and LPP) and a face-specific N170 revealed that autistic children elicited greater N2 while inhibiting Nogo trials and greater P3/LPP and late LPP for real but not cartoon emotional faces. Moreover, autistic children exhibited a reduced N170 to real face emotions only. Furthermore, correlation results showed that better behavioral inhibition and emotion recognition in autistic children were associated with a reduced N170. These findings suggest that neural mechanisms of inhibitory control in autistic children are less efficient and more disrupted during real face processing, which may affect their age-appropriate socio-emotional development.

Predicting herb-disease associations using network-based measures in human protein interactome.

BACKGROUND: Natural herbs are frequently used to treat diseases or to relieve symptoms in many countries. Moreover, as their safety has been proven for a long time, they are considered as main sources of new drug development. However, in many cases, the herbs are still prescribed relying on ancient records and/or traditional practices without scientific evidences. More importantly, the medicinal efficacy of the herbs has to be evaluated in the perspective of MCMT (multi-compound multi-target) effects, but most efforts focus on identifying and analyzing a single compound experimentally. To overcome these hurdles, computational approaches which are based on the scientific evidences and are able to handle the MCMT effects are needed to predict the herb-disease associations. RESULTS: In this study, we proposed a network-based in silico method to predict the herb-disease associations. To this end, we devised a new network-based measure, WACP (weighted average closest path length), which not only quantifies proximity between herb-related genes and disease-related genes but also considers compound compositions of each herb. As a result, we confirmed that our method successfully predicts the herb-disease associations in the human protein interactome (AUROC = 0.777). In addition, we observed that our method is superior than the other simple network-based proximity measures (e.g. average shortest and closest path length). Additionally, we analyzed the associations between Brassica oleracea var. italica and its known associated diseases more specifically as case studies. Finally, based on the prediction results of the WACP, we suggested novel herb-disease pairs which are expected to have potential relations and their literature evidences. CONCLUSIONS: This method could be a promising solution to modernize the use of the natural herbs by providing the scientific evidences about the molecular associations between the herb-related genes targeted by multiple compounds and the disease-related genes in the human protein interactome.

Dual Chalcogen-Bonding Interaction for High-Performance Filterless Narrowband Organic Photodetectors.

A novel green-absorbing organic molecule featuring dual intramolecular chalcogen bonds is synthesized and characterized. This molecule incorporates two such bonds: one between a tellurium atom and the oxygen atom of a carbonyl moiety, and the other between the tellurium atom and the adjacent nitrogen atom within a pyridine moiety. The molecule, featuring dual intramolecular chalcogen bonds exhibits a narrow absorption spectrum and elevated absorption coefficients, closely aligned with a resonance parameter of approximately 0.5. This behavior is due to its cyanine-like characteristics and favorable electrical properties, which are a direct result of its rigid, planar molecular structure. Therefore, this organic molecule forming dual intramolecular chalcogen bonds achieves superior optoelectronic performance in green-selective photodetectors, boasting an external quantum efficiency of over 65% and a full-width at half maximum of less than 95 nm while maintaining the performance after 1000 h of heating aging at 85 °C. Such organic photodetectors are poised to enhance stacked organic photodetector-on-silicon hybrid image sensors, paving the way for the next-generation of high-resolution and high-sensitivity image sensors.

Exploring the comparative genome of rice pathogen Burkholderia plantarii: unveiling virulence, fitness traits, and a potential type III secretion system effector.

This study presents a comprehensive genomic analysis of Burkholderia plantarii, a rice pathogen that causes blight and grain rot in seedlings. The entire genome of B. plantarii KACC 18964 was sequenced, followed by a comparative genomic analysis with other available genomes to gain insights into its virulence, fitness, and interactions with rice. Multiple secondary metabolite gene clusters were identified. Among these, 12 demonstrated varying similarity levels to known clusters linked to bioactive compounds, whereas eight exhibited no similarity, indicating B. plantarii as a source of potentially novel secondary metabolites. Notably, the genes responsible for tropolone and quorum sensing were conserved across the examined genomes. Additionally, B. plantarii was observed to possess three complete CRISPR systems and a range of secretion systems, exhibiting minor variations among the analyzed genomes. Genomic islands were analyzed across the four genomes, and a detailed study of the B. plantarii KACC 18964 genome revealed 59 unique islands. These islands were thoroughly investigated for their gene contents and potential roles in virulence. Particular attention has been devoted to the Type III secretion system (T3SS), a crucial virulence factor. An in silico analysis of potential T3SS effectors identified a conserved gene, aroA. Further mutational studies, in planta and in vitro analyses validated the association between aroA and virulence in rice. Overall, this study enriches our understanding of the genomic basis of B. plantarii pathogenicity and emphasizes the potential role of aroA in virulence. This understanding may guide the development of effective disease management strategies.

GWAS analysis reveals the genetic basis of blast resistance associated with heading date in rice.

Rice blast is a destructive fungal disease affecting rice plants at various growth stages, significantly threatening global yield stability. Development of resistant rice cultivars stands as a practical means of disease control. Generally, association mapping with a diversity panel powerfully identifies new alleles controlling trait of interest. On the other hand, utilization of a breeding panel has its advantage that can be directly applied in a breeding program. In this study, we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for blast resistance using 296 commercial rice cultivars with low population structure but large phenotypic diversity. We attempt to answer the genetic basis behind rice blast resistance among early maturing cultivars by subdividing the population based on its Heading date 1 (Hd1) functionality. Subpopulation-specific GWAS using the mixed linear model (MLM) based on blast nursery screening conducted in three years revealed a total of 26 significant signals, including three nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat (NBS-LRR) genes (Os06g0286500, Os06g0286700, and Os06g0287500) located at Piz locus on chromosome 6, and one at the Pi-ta locus (Os12g0281300) on chromosome 12. Haplotype analysis revealed blast resistance associated with Piz locus was exclusively specific to Type 14 hd1 among japonica rice. Our findings provide valuable insights for breeding blast resistant rice and highlight the applicability of our elite cultivar panel to detect superior alleles associated with important agronomic traits.

Different clinical course of BPPV according to the medical conditions.

Dizziness is one of the most prevalent complaints in medicine, and benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) accounts for one-third of all cases. The present study was aimed at identifying differences in the course and prognosis of BPPV depending on the patient's medical condition during hospitalization. Patients in group 1 were hospitalized due to trauma, those in group 2 for scheduled surgery, and those in group 3 for medical treatment. The intervals from admission to symptom onset, surgery to symptom onset, and symptom onset to ENT department referral were compared. The interval from admission to symptom onset was shortest in group 1 (3.1 ± 8.0 days) and differed significantly from that in group 3 (20.0 ± 35.0 days, p < 0.001). The interval from surgery to symptom onset for group 2 was 5.6 ± 5.8 days and was significantly shorter than that from admission to symptom onset for group 3 (p = 0.014). The interval from symptom onset to ENT referral in group 3 (2.0 ± 2.8 days) was significantly shorter than in groups 1 and 2 (4.1 ± 5.1 and 4.0 ± 3.6 days, p = 0.008 and p = 0.002, respectively). The findings imply that the course of BPPV differed according to the patients' medical condition.

Impact of a Pilot Project for Integrated Care on Hospitalization Rate among Older Adults in South Korea.

Introduction: Since 2019, the Korean government has implemented a pilot project for integrated care to encourage healthy aging of older adults. This study investigated the changes in hospitalization rates among older adults who participated in the integrated care pilot project. Methods: Administrative survey data collected from 13 local governments and the National Health Insurance Database were used in present study. The participants comprised 17,801 older adults who participated in the pilot project between August 01, 2019 and April 30, 2022 and 68,145 matched controls. A propensity score matching method was employed to select the control group, and this study employed difference-in-differences (DID) approach to examine variations in the hospitalization rate. Results: The DID analysis revealed that the odds ratio for rates of hospitalization among older adults who participated in the pilot project was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.84, 0.91) in comparison to control group. In specifically, as compared to the control group, the odds ratio for hospitalization rates among the pilot project's discharged patients was 0.17 (95% CI 0.15, 0.20). Although not statistically significant, the odds ratio of older adults who utilized LTCI services was 0.93 (95% CI 0.83, 1.05), and the odds ratio of older adults who applied for LTCI but were rejected or were intensive social care was 1.09 (95% CI 0.95, 1.26) compared to the comparison group. Discussion: The findings imply that the discharged patient group had greater medical demands than the other types, and it can be claimed that this is the group that may anticipate greater efficacy while using health services. In addition, the integrated care services provided by the pilot project have the effect of reducing unnecessary hospitalization such as social hospitalization. Conclusion: Participants in the integrated care pilot project showed a lower hospitalization rate than the older adults who did not participate in the project but had similar characteristics. In particular, the admission rate of discharged patients showed a sharp decline.

RicePilaf: a post-GWAS/QTL dashboard to integrate pangenomic, coexpression, regulatory, epigenomic, ontology, pathway, and text-mining information to provide functional insights into rice QTLs and GWAS loci.

BACKGROUND: As the number of genome-wide association study (GWAS) and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mappings in rice continues to grow, so does the already long list of genomic loci associated with important agronomic traits. Typically, loci implicated by GWAS/QTL analysis contain tens to hundreds to thousands of single-nucleotide polmorphisms (SNPs)/genes, not all of which are causal and many of which are in noncoding regions. Unraveling the biological mechanisms that tie the GWAS regions and QTLs to the trait of interest is challenging, especially since it requires collating functional genomics information about the loci from multiple, disparate data sources. RESULTS: We present RicePilaf, a web app for post-GWAS/QTL analysis, that performs a slew of novel bioinformatics analyses to cross-reference GWAS results and QTL mappings with a host of publicly available rice databases. In particular, it integrates (i) pangenomic information from high-quality genome builds of multiple rice varieties, (ii) coexpression information from genome-scale coexpression networks, (iii) ontology and pathway information, (iv) regulatory information from rice transcription factor databases, (v) epigenomic information from multiple high-throughput epigenetic experiments, and (vi) text-mining information extracted from scientific abstracts linking genes and traits. We demonstrate the utility of RicePilaf by applying it to analyze GWAS peaks of preharvest sprouting and genes underlying yield-under-drought QTLs. CONCLUSIONS: RicePilaf enables rice scientists and breeders to shed functional light on their GWAS regions and QTLs, and it provides them with a means to prioritize SNPs/genes for further experiments. The source code, a Docker image, and a demo version of RicePilaf are publicly available at https://github.com/bioinfodlsu/rice-pilaf.

A survey of current practices in post-polypectomy surveillance in Korea.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated the clinical practice patterns of post-polypectomy colonoscopic surveillance among Korean endoscopists. METHODS: In a web-based survey conducted between September and November 2021, participants were asked about their preferred surveillance intervals and the patient age at which surveillance was discontinued. Adherence to the recent guidelines of the U.S. Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer (USMSTF) was also analyzed. RESULTS: In total, 196 endoscopists completed the survey. The most preferred first surveillance intervals were: a 5-year interval after the removal of 1-2 tubular adenomas < 10 mm; a 3-year interval after the removal of 3-10 tubular adenomas < 10 mm, adenomas ≥ 10 mm, tubulovillous or villous adenomas, ≤ 20 hyperplastic polyps < 10 mm, 1-4 sessile serrated lesions (SSLs) < 10 mm, hyperplastic polyps or SSLs ≥ 10 mm, and traditional serrated adenomas; and a 1-year interval after the removal of adenomas with highgrade dysplasia, >10 adenomas, 5-10 SSLs, and SSLs with dysplasia. In piecemeal resections of large polyps ( > 20 mm), surveillance colonoscopy was mostly preferred after 1 year for adenomas and 6 months for SSLs. The mean USMSTF guideline adherence rate was 30.7%. The largest proportion of respondents (40.8%-55.1%) discontinued the surveillance at the patient age of 80-84 years. CONCLUSIONS: A significant discrepancy was observed between the preferred post-polypectomy surveillance intervals and recent international guidelines. Individualized measures are required to increase adherence to the guidelines.

Seasonal variation and prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction complicated by cardiogenic shock.

Background: Little is known about the association between seasonal variation and prognosis in patients with CS caused by AMI. Objectives: We investigated the 12-month clinical outcomes in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock (CS) according to season. Methods: A total of 695 patients undergoing PCI for AMI complicated by CS was enrolled from 12 centers in South Korea. The study patients were divided into four groups according to season in which the AMI with CS occurred (spring, n = 178 vs. summer, n = 155 vs. autumn, n = 182 vs. winter, n = 180). We compared major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs; the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, re-hospitalization due to heart failure, and any revascularization) between the four groups. Results: The risk of MACE during the 12 months after CS was similar in the four groups: spring, 68 patients, vs. summer, 69, vs. autumn, 73, vs. winter, 68 (p = 0.587). Multivariate Cox-regression analysis revealed no significant difference in 12-month MACE among groups compared to the spring group after inverse probability of treatment weighting adjustment (summer, HR 1.40, 95 % CI 0.98-1.99, p = 0.062; autumn, HR 1.26, 95 % CI 0.89-1.80, p = 0.193; winter, HR 1.18, 95 % CI 0.83-1.67, p = 0.356). The similarity of MACE between the four groups was consistent across a variety of subgroups. Conclusions: After adjusting for baseline differences, seasonal variation seems not to influence the mid-term risk of 12-month MACE in patients treated with PCI for AMI complicated by CS. Condensed abstract: Data are limited regarding the association between seasonal variation and prognosis in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) caused by AMI. This study divided patients undergoing PCI for AMI complicated by CS into four groups based on the season of occurrence and found no significant differences in 12-month MACE between the groups after adjusting for bias and confounding factors. Multivariate analysis revealed consistent MACE similarity across subgroups. The study suggests that seasonal variation has no impact on the mid-term risk of 12-month MACE in patients with CS caused by AMI, after adjusting for baseline differences. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02985008RESCUE (REtrospective and prospective observational Study to investigate Clinical oUtcomes and Efficacy of left ventricular assist device for Korean patients with cardiogenic shock), NCT02985008, Registered December 5, 2016 - retrospectively and prospectively. Irb information: This study was approved by the institutional review board of Samsung Medical Center (Reference number: 2016-03-130).

Current research trends on the effect of diabetes mellitus on rotator cuff tendon healing/tendinopathy.

Rotator cuff tendon tears are a leading cause of shoulder pain. They are challenging to treat, and tendon-bone healing has a high failure rate despite successful surgery. Tendons connect the muscles and bones, which make them important for the body's overall mobility and stability. Metabolic diseases, including diabetes or high blood pressure, can affect the healing process after repair of a damaged tendon. With a global incidence of 9.3%, diabetes is considered as a significant risk factor for rotator cuff tendon healing because it causes structural, inflammatory, and vascular changes in the tendon. However, the mechanisms of how diabetes affects tendon healing remain unknown. Several factors have been suggested, including glycation product accumulation, adipokine dysregulation, increased levels of reactive oxygen species, apoptosis, inflammatory cytokines, imbalanced matrix-metalloproteinase-to-tissue-inhibitor ratio, and impaired angiogenesis and differentiation of the tendon sheath. Despite the effects of diabetes on tendon function and healing, few treatments are available to improve recovery in these patients. This review summarizes the current literature on the pathophysiological changes of the tendon in diabetes and hyperlipidemia. Preclinical and clinical evidence regarding the association between diabetes and tendon healing is presented. Moreover, current approaches to improve tendon healing in patients with diabetes are reviewed.

Clinical significance of the advanced lung cancer inflammation index in patients with limited-stage small cell lung cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy.

The aim of the study was to investigate the prognostic significance of the advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) in patients with limited-stage small-cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) undergoing definite chemo-radiotherapy (CRT). We included 87 patients with LS-SCLC from South Korea, treated between 2005 and 2019 with definite CRT. ALI was calculated using body mass index, serum albumin, and neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio. We categorized 38 patients into the high ALI group (ALI ≥ 44.3) and 48 into the low ALI group (ALI < 44.3). Patients in the high ALI group exhibited longer overall survival (OS) than patients in the low ALI group. In multivariate analysis, prophylactic cranial irradiation (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.366, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.20-0.66, P = 0.0008), and high ALI (HR = 0.475, 95% CI 0.27-0.84, P = 0.0103) were identified as independent prognostic factors for predicting better OS. Notably, a high ALI score was particularly indicative of longer survival in patients treated with the combination of etoposide and cisplatin. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that a high pretreatment ALI was significantly associated with better OS in patients with LS-SCLC undergoing definite CRT. This suggests that ALI could be a useful tool for predicting prognosis and guiding chemotherapy regimen selections in clinical practice for LS-SCLC.

Methylisothiazolinone sensitisation in New Zealand is decreasing.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: In the last 10 years methylisothiazolinone (MI) emerged as a global cause of preservative-related ACD. New Zealand has liberal regulations for the MI concentration limit in cosmetic products compared to Europe and Australia. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of MI sensitisation in New Zealand, explore sources of MI exposure and make recommendations on New Zealand regulations for MI use. METHODS: This retrospective study included data from patients who underwent patch testing with MI from 2008 to 2021 in a tertiary hospital dermatology clinic and a private dermatology clinic in Auckland, New Zealand. Patient baseline characteristics were recorded along with results of patch testing. Sources of MI exposure were identified from medical records. RESULTS: Over the study period, 1049 patch tests were performed in 1044 patients. MI was only tested as a stand-alone allergen from 2015; positive reactions to MI increased from 5.3% in 2015 to a peak of 11.9% in 2017 and then decreased to 6.4% in 2021. The most common source of MI exposure was shampoo or conditioner (27.7% of all relevant reactions) followed by occupational exposures to paints, biocides or glue (19.1%). CONCLUSION: Both sensitisation and ACD to MI appear to be decreasing, likely secondary to changes in product compounding due to stricter concentration limits internationally. We recommend New Zealand adopt lower MI concentration limits for cosmetics to match the limits of Australia and Europe.

Survey on Resident Education for Surgical Dermatology in South Korea.

BACKGROUND: With the increasing demand for surgical procedures in dermatology, resident education in surgical dermatology has become important for delivering high-quality treatment. However, it remains unclear if a sufficient number of residency programs with quality standards exist, as there has been little research on this subject in South Korea. OBJECTIVE: To identify the status of surgical dermatology education among residents and assess dermatologists' perceptions of the subject. METHODS: A 35-question survey was developed and distributed to all resident training hospitals and local clinics listed by the Korean Society of Dermatologic Surgery. Only third- and fourth-year residents were included and board-certified specialists from training hospitals and local clinics responded to the surveys. RESULTS: Survey participants included 88 residents and 120 specialists of whom one-quarter of the residents attended regular monthly educational sessions. Most residents (93%) participated in cosmetic procedures, and many performed laser therapy. However, the opportunity for toxin or filler injection was rare, with only 12% of the residents having experience with filler injections. In response, 49% of residents and 32% of specialists said that more cosmetic training was required, whereas 28% of residents and 50% of specialists said that more training for both cosmetic and conventional surgeries was necessary. CONCLUSION: The survey demonstrated a need for more training programs in surgical dermatology during residency and a perception gap between residents and specialists. Therefore, developing educational residency programs that focus on basic dermatologic surgery principles and their applications in cosmetic procedures is essential.

Efficacy of Bleomycin Intralesional Injection for Treating Digital Mucous Cysts: A Comparative Study of Corticosteroid Intralesional Injection and Surgical Excision.

BACKGROUND: Sclerotherapy has shown superior efficacy among the nonsurgical options for managing digital mucous cysts (DMC). Notably, previous research has indicated that bleomycin offers a more favorable side-effect profile and similar efficacy to conventional sclerosing agents. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of bleomycin intralesional injection (ILI) for treating DMC through a comparative analysis of corticosteroid ILI and surgical excision. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed electronic medical records and clinical photographs. Telephone interviews were conducted to further investigate long-term treatment efficacy, safety, and overall treatment satisfaction. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent surgical excision, and 13 and 15 patients received bleomycin and corticosteroid ILI, respectively. Both surgical excision and bleomycin ILI demonstrated superior treatment efficacy compared to corticosteroid ILI. No statistically significant difference in the treatment effectiveness between surgical excision and bleomycin ILI was observed. No significant adverse effects were observed. In the survey, the level of satisfaction was the highest for bleomycin ILI, followed by surgical excision and corticosteroid ILI. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that bleomycin ILI exhibits a treatment efficacy higher than that of corticosteroid ILI and slightly lower than that of surgical excision, without any side effects. Therefore, bleomycin ILI is a safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of DMC.

Impact of Esterification with Octenyl Succinic Anhydride on the Structural Characteristics and Glucose Response in Mice of Wheat Starch.

In this study, we investigated the structural properties and digestibility of wheat starch treated with octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA). For the experiment, the samples were reacted with 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% OSA (pH 8.5-9.0) for 2 h. A light micrograph showed that there was no difference in the morphology and Maltese cross between native and OSA-treated starch. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the native and OSA-treated starches showed typical A-type diffraction. In addition, the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum showed a distinct carbonyl peak at approximately 1730 cm-1, indicating the stretching vibration of the C=O bond of the ester group. The degree of substitution (DS) and content of resistant starch (RS) increased with increasing concentrations of treated OSA because of the increase in ester bonds. In particular, RS was thermostable compared to the RS content in uncooked and cooked starch. Blood glucose levels and response in vivo decreased as the OSA concentration increased. Treatment of wheat starch with 8% OSA concentration produced 35.6% heat-stable resistant starch. These results suggest that starch modified with OSA can be used to produce functional foods for diabetes.

Evaporation-Driven Energy Generation Using an Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Nanofiber Mat with Different Support Substrates.

Water evaporation-driven energy harvesting is an emerging mechanism for contributing to green energy production with low cost. Herein, we developed polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofiber-based evaporation-driven electricity generators (PEEGs) to confirm the feasibility of utilizing electrospun PAN nanofiber mats in an evaporation-driven energy harvesting system. However, PAN nanofiber mats require a support substrate to enhance its durability and stability when it is applied to an evaporation-driven energy generator, which could have additional effects on generation performance. Accordingly, various support substrates, including fiberglass, copper, stainless mesh, and fabric screen, were applied to PEEGs and examined to understand their potential impacts on electrical generation outputs. As a result, the PAN nanofiber mats were successfully converted to a hydrophilic material for an evaporation-driven generator by dip-coating them in nanocarbon black (NCB) solution. Furthermore, specific electrokinetic performance trends were investigated and the peak electricity outputs of Voc were recorded to be 150.8, 6.5, 2.4, and 215.9 mV, and Isc outputs were recorded to be 143.8, 60.5, 103.8, and 121.4 µA, from PEEGs with fiberglass, copper, stainless mesh, and fabric screen substrates, respectively. Therefore, the implications of this study would provide further perspectives on the developing evaporation-induced electricity devices based on nanofiber materials.

Cellular and Biophysical Applications of Genetic Code Expansion.

Despite their diverse functions, proteins are inherently constructed from a limited set of building blocks. These compositional constraints pose significant challenges to protein research and its practical applications. Strategically manipulating the cellular protein synthesis system to incorporate novel building blocks has emerged as a critical approach for overcoming these constraints in protein research and application. In the past two decades, the field of genetic code expansion (GCE) has achieved significant advancements, enabling the integration of numerous novel functionalities into proteins across a variety of organisms. This technological evolution has paved the way for the extensive application of genetic code expansion across multiple domains, including protein imaging, the introduction of probes for protein research, analysis of protein-protein interactions, spatiotemporal control of protein function, exploration of proteome changes induced by external stimuli, and the synthesis of proteins endowed with novel functions. In this comprehensive Review, we aim to provide an overview of cellular and biophysical applications that have employed GCE technology over the past two decades.