Enhancing Genomic Prediction Accuracy for Body Conformation Traits in Korean Holstein Cattle.

The Holstein breed is the mainstay of dairy production in Korea. In this study, we evaluated the genomic prediction accuracy for body conformation traits in Korean Holstein cattle, using a range of π levels (0.75, 0.90, 0.99, and 0.995) in Bayesian methods (BayesB and BayesC). Focusing on 24 traits, we analyzed the impact of different π levels on prediction accuracy. We observed a general increase in accuracy at higher levels for specific traits, with variations depending on the Bayesian method applied. Notably, the highest accuracy was achieved for rear teat angle when using deregressed estimated breeding values including parent average as a response variable. We further demonstrated that incorporating parent average into deregressed estimated breeding values enhances genomic prediction accuracy, showcasing the effectiveness of the model in integrating both offspring and parental genetic information. Additionally, we identified 18 significant window regions through genome-wide association studies, which are crucial for future fine mapping and discovery of causal mutations. These findings provide valuable insights into the efficiency of genomic selection for body conformation traits in Korean Holstein cattle and highlight the potential for advancements in the prediction accuracy using larger datasets and more sophisticated genomic models.

Comparative transcriptome analysis between long- and short-term survival after pig-to-monkey cardiac xenotransplantation reveals differential heart failure development.

Cardiac xenotransplantation is the potential treatment for end-stage heart failure, but the allogenic organ supply needs to catch up to clinical demand. Therefore, genetically-modified porcine heart xenotransplantation could be a potential alternative. So far, pig-to-monkey heart xenografts have been studied using multi-transgenic pigs, indicating various survival periods. However, functional mechanisms based on survival period-related gene expression are unclear. This study aimed to identify the differential mechanisms between pig-to-monkey post-xenotransplantation long- and short-term survivals. Heterotopic abdominal transplantation was performed using a donor CD46-expressing GTKO pig and a recipient cynomolgus monkey. RNA-seq was performed using samples from POD60 XH from monkey and NH from age-matched pigs, D35 and D95. Gene-annotated DEGs for POD60 XH were compared with those for POD9 XH (Park et al. 2021). DEGs were identified by comparing gene expression levels in POD60 XH versus either D35 or D95 NH. 1,804 and 1,655 DEGs were identified in POD60 XH versus D35 NH and POD60 XH versus D95 NH, respectively. Overlapped 1,148 DEGs were annotated and compared with 1,348 DEGs for POD9 XH. Transcriptomic features for heart failure and inhibition of T cell activation were observed in both long (POD60)- and short (POD9)-term survived monkeys. Only short-term survived monkey showed heart remodeling and regeneration features, while long-term survived monkey indicated multi-organ failure by neural and hormonal signaling as well as suppression of B cell activation. Our results reveal differential heart failure development and survival at the transcriptome level and suggest candidate genes for specific signals to control adverse cardiac xenotransplantation effects.

Physicochemical and sensory characteristics of commercially available rice-based Doenjang and their correlation to consumer acceptability for Korean young adults.

There is an increased demand for rice doenjang by consumers who are allergic to beans as well as for those seeking diverse flavors. The objective of this study was to characterize the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of commercially available rice-based doenjang in Korea and to identify the perception of Korean consumers about rice-based doenjang. Rice doenjang exhibited a lower pH, acid value, and an NH3-N content, as well as a higher total sugar, reducing sugar, and alcohol content than soybean doenjang. Descriptive analysis results revealed that rice doenjang made in Korea has similar aroma characteristics as in miso, such as Katsuobushi aromatic. The rice doenjang purchased from Japan was characterized by high intensities of sweet attributes, such as butter cracker, grape juice, and pineapple. Consumers preferred soybean doenjang instead of rice doenjang among three doenjang samples. These results suggest that the familiarity of soybean-based doenjang affects consumer preference and choice.

DAG-Based Blockchain Sharding for Secure Federated Learning with Non-IID Data.

Federated learning is a type of privacy-preserving, collaborative machine learning. Instead of sharing raw data, the federated learning process cooperatively exchanges the model parameters and aggregates them in a decentralized manner through multiple users. In this study, we designed and implemented a hierarchical blockchain system using a public blockchain for a federated learning process without a trusted curator. This prevents model-poisoning attacks and provides secure updates of a global model. We conducted a comprehensive empirical study to characterize the performance of federated learning in our testbed and identify potential performance bottlenecks, thereby gaining a better understanding of the system.

Dapagliflozin attenuates diabetes-induced diastolic dysfunction and cardiac fibrosis by regulating SGK1 signaling.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have reported improved diastolic function in patients administered sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i). We aimed to investigate the effect of dapagliflozin on left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in a diabetic animal model and to determine the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying its function. METHODS: A total of 30 male New Zealand white rabbits were randomized into control, diabetes, or diabetes+dapagliflozin groups (n = 10/per each group). Diabetes was induced by intravenous alloxan. Cardiac function was evaluated using echocardiography. Myocardial samples were obtained for histologic and molecular evaluation. For cellular evaluation, fibrosis-induced cardiomyoblast (H9C2) cells were obtained, and transfection was performed for mechanism analysis (serum and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1) signaling analysis). RESULTS: The diabetes+dapagliflozin group showed attenuation of diastolic dysfunction compared with the diabetes group. Dapagliflozin inhibited myocardial fibrosis via inhibition of SGK1 and epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) protein, which was observed both in myocardial tissue and H9C2 cells. In addition, dapagliflozin showed an anti-inflammatory effect and ameliorated mitochondrial disruption. Inhibition of SGK1 expression by siRNA decreased and ENaC and Na+/H+ exchanger isoform 1 (NHE1) expression was confirmed as significantly reduced as siSGK1 in the diabetes+dapagliflozin group. CONCLUSIONS: Dapagliflozin attenuated left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and cardiac fibrosis via regulation of SGK1 signaling. Dapagliflozin also reduced macrophages and inflammatory proteins and ameliorated mitochondrial disruption.

Computational Fractional Flow Reserve From Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography-Optical Coherence Tomography Fusion Images in Assessing Functionally Significant Coronary Stenosis.

Background: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) provide additional functional information beyond the anatomy by applying computational fluid dynamics (CFD). This study sought to evaluate a novel approach for estimating computational fractional flow reserve (FFR) from coronary CTA-OCT fusion images. Methods: Among patients who underwent coronary CTA, 148 patients who underwent both pressure wire-based FFR measurement and OCT during angiography to evaluate intermediate stenosis in the left anterior descending artery were included from the prospective registry. Coronary CTA-OCT fusion images were created, and CFD was applied to estimate computational FFR. Based on pressure wire-based FFR as a reference, the diagnostic performance of Fusion-FFR was compared with that of CT-FFR and OCT-FFR. Results: Fusion-FFR was strongly correlated with FFR (r = 0.836, P < 0.001). Correlation between FFR and Fusion-FFR was stronger than that between FFR and CT-FFR (r = 0.682, P < 0.001; z statistic, 5.42, P < 0.001) and between FFR and OCT-FFR (r = 0.705, P < 0.001; z statistic, 4.38, P < 0.001). Area under the receiver operating characteristics curve to assess functionally significant stenosis was higher for Fusion-FFR than for CT-FFR (0.90 vs. 0.83, P = 0.024) and OCT-FFR (0.90 vs. 0.83, P = 0.043). Fusion-FFR exhibited 84.5% accuracy, 84.6% sensitivity, 84.3% specificity, 80.9% positive predictive value, and 87.5% negative predictive value. Especially accuracy, specificity, and positive predictive value were superior for Fusion-FFR than for CT-FFR (73.0%, P = 0.007; 61.4%, P < 0.001; 64.0%, P < 0.001) and OCT-FFR (75.7%, P = 0.021; 73.5%, P = 0.020; 69.9%, P = 0.012). Conclusion: CFD-based computational FFR from coronary CTA-OCT fusion images provided more accurate functional information than coronary CTA or OCT alone. Clinical Trial Registration: [www.ClinicalTrials.gov], identifier [NCT03298282].

The Estimation of Genetic Parameters for Longevity According to Lactation Period Using a Multiple Trait Animal Model in Korean Holstein Cows.

Longevity is closely related to the survival rate of dairy cattle and refers to the period during which the cow has economic value, from first calving to culling. The purpose of this study was to analyze the culling patterns and survival rates of Korean Holstein cows and evaluate genetic characteristics related to parity and longevity of each lactation by using the test day milk yield collected in South Korea. The performance data of the dairy cattle were collected from 2004 to 2019 by the Nonghyup Dairy Cattle Improvement Center. The collected 1,702,304 records were used as pedigree data through the Korea Animal Improvement Association. The lactation period was divided into early-lactation (0-90 days: L1.1, L2.1, and L3.1), mid-lactation (91-299 days: L1.2, L2.2, and L3.2), and late-lactation (300 days-next parity: L1.3, L2.3, and L3.3). The heritability of longevity for the first, second, and third parity was 0.020, 0.028, and 0.039, respectively. In all parities, the heritability in late-lactation was higher than that in early- and mid-lactation. Most genetic correlations for survival in the first parity were higher than those in the second and third parities. The results of this study may serve as a basis for developing a more accurate model for evaluating longevity traits in South Korea.

Genome-Wide Assessment of a Korean Composite Pig Breed, Woori-Heukdon.

A Korean synthetic pig breed, Woori-Heukdon (WRH; F3), was developed by crossing parental breeds (Korean native pig [KNP] and Korean Duroc [DUC]) with their crossbred populations (F1 and F2). This study in genome-wide assessed a total of 2,074 pigs which include the crossbred and the parental populations using the Illumina PorcineSNP60 BeadChip. After quality control of the initial datasets, we performed population structure, genetic diversity, and runs of homozygosity (ROH) analyses. Population structure analyses showed that crossbred populations were genetically influenced by the parental breeds according to their generation stage in the crossbreeding scheme. Moreover, principal component analysis showed the dispersed cluster of WRH, which might reflect introducing a new breeding group into the previous one. Expected heterozygosity values, which were used to assess genetic diversity, were .365, .349, .336, .330, and .211 for WRH, F2, F1, DUC, and KNP, respectively. The inbreeding coefficient based on ROH was the highest in KNP (.409), followed by WRH (.186), DUC (.178), F2 (.107), and F1 (.035). Moreover, the frequency of short ROH decreased according to the crossing stage (from F1 to WRH). Alternatively, the frequency of medium and long ROH increased, which indicated recent inbreeding in F2 and WRH. Furthermore, gene annotation of the ROH islands in WRH that might be inherited from their parental breeds revealed several interesting candidate genes that may be associated with adaptation, meat quality, production, and reproduction traits in pigs.

Blood transcriptome comparison between sexes and their function in 4-week Rhode Island red chickens.

Sex is a major biological factor in the development and physiology of a sexual reproductive organism, and its role in the growing process is needed to be investigated in various species. We compare blood transcriptome between 5 males and 5 females in 4-week-old Rhode Island Red chickens and perform functional annotation of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The results are as follows. 141 and 109 DEGs were located in autosomes and sex chromosomes, respectively. The gene ontology (GO) terms are significantly (p < 0.05) enriched, which were limb development, inner ear development, positive regulation of dendrite development, the KEGG pathway the TGF-beta signaling pathway, and melanogenesis (p < 0.05). These pathways are related to morphological maintenance and growth of the tissues. In addition, the SMAD2W and the BMP5 were involved in the TGF-beta signaling pathway, and both play an important role in maintaining tissue development. The major DEGs related to the development of neurons and synapses include the up-regulated NRN1, GDF10, SLC1A1, BMP5, NBEA, and NRXN1. Also, 7 DEGs were validated using RT-qPCR with high correlation (r 2 = 0.74). In conclusion, the differential expression of blood tissue in the early growing chicken was enriched in TGF-beta signaling and related to the development of neurons and synapses including SMAD2W and BMP5. These results suggest that blood in the early growing stage is differentially affected in tissue development, nervous system, and pigmentation by sex. For future research, experimental characterization of DEGs and a holistic investigation of various tissues and growth stages will be required.

Versatile Usage of the Modified Lateral Mass Screw as an Alternative to Cervical Pedicle Screw Fixation.

OBJECTIVE: Posterior subaxial cervical screw fixation is commonly performed using the cervical pedicle screws (CPS) and lateral mass screws (LMS); however, their compatibility is low. Modified lateral mass screws (mLMS, also called paravertebral foramen screw) fixation was introduced as a salvage technique for LMS fixation and has features of both LMS and CPS techniques. In the present study, the use of mLMS as an alternative to CPS was analyzed based on clinical results. METHODS: Seventy-eight screws (38 CPSs and 40 mLMSs) were inserted into 12 patients. The misplacement of the screws was evaluated by computed tomography (CT). The failure of instrumentation and instability were evaluated using plain radiographs. RESULTS: The total number of CPS misplacements was 3 (10.5%); however, neurologic complications were not observed. mLMSs were used in the middle segments of the fusion in 10 patients and 2 patients had mLMS fixation for single-level fusion. An additional bridging implant was not required for connecting both CPSs and mLMSs. Instability was not observed during the observation period (4-51 months). Complete fusion was seen in 10 patients. CONCLUSIONS: The alternative mLMS fixation can decrease the risk of screw misplacement compared with CPS fixation alone and achieves adequate stability leading to fusion.

Visual Development of Healthy Full-Term Infants under 24 Months of Age Using the Preverbal Visual Assessment Questionnaire.

As visual perception development proceeds rapidly after birth, early detection of developmental maturity is required. Healthy infants do not have many opportunities for visual perception evaluation, so a reliable evaluation method is necessary. This retrospective study included 276 healthy full-term infants <24 months of age using the Preverbal Visual Assessment (PreViAs) questionnaire, which measures scores of subdivided age-groups for the global scores and 4 domains: visual attention (VA), visual communication (VC), visual-motor coordination (VMC), and visual processing (VP). Through this study, reference values and cutoff scores of the PreViAs questionnaire were presented, reliability was secured, and potential influencing factors of the PreViAs scores were analyzed. Using Cronbach's α coefficient, the global scores were 0.938, 0.781 for VA, 0.660 for VC, 0.874 for VMC, and 0.942 for VP. The internal consistency of the questionnaire was high in the global scores and 3 domains (VA, VMC, and VP). In infants under 12 months, the global scores and the VA, VMC, and VP domains showed positive association with gestational age, whereas the VC domain correlated with sex: which was found to be greater for females (p < 0.05). In those 12 month and above, no clinical factors were significantly associated with the PreViAs scores in all domains. The PreViAs questionnaire is a useful tool for visual assessment of healthy full-term infants under 24 months of age, suggesting reference values and cutoff scores according to age, and estimating the maturation age for visual perception development of each domain.

Targeting Treg-Expressed STAT3 Enhances NK-Mediated Surveillance of Metastasis and Improves Therapeutic Response in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: Metastasis remains a major hurdle in treating aggressive malignancies such as pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Improving response to treatment, therefore, requires a more detailed characterization of the cellular populations involved in controlling metastatic burden. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: PDAC patient tissue samples were subjected to RNA sequencing analysis to identify changes in immune infiltration following radiotherapy. Genetically engineered mouse strains in combination with orthotopic tumor models of PDAC were used to characterize disease progression. Flow cytometry was used to analyze tumor infiltrating, circulating, and nodal immune populations. RESULTS: We demonstrate that although radiotherapy increases the infiltration and activation of dendritic cells (DC), it also increases the infiltration of regulatory T cells (Treg) while failing to recruit natural killer (NK) and CD8 T cells in PDAC patient tissue samples. In murine orthotopic tumor models, we show that genetic and pharmacologic depletion of Tregs and NK cells enhances and attenuates response to radiotherapy, respectively. We further demonstrate that targeted inhibition of STAT3 on Tregs results in improved control of local and distant disease progression and enhanced NK-mediated immunosurveillance of metastasis. Moreover, combination treatment of STAT3 antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) and radiotherapy invigorated systemic immune activation and conferred a survival advantage in orthotopic and metastatic tumor models. Finally, we show the response to STAT3 ASO + radiotherapy treatment is dependent on NK and DC subsets. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest targeting Treg-mediated immunosuppression is a critical step in mediating a response to treatment, and identifying NK cells as not only a prognostic marker of improved survival, but also as an effector population that functions to combat metastasis.

Genetic relationship of age at first calving with conformation traits and calving interval in Hanwoo cows.

This study was performed to investigate genetic relationship of age at first calving (AFC) with body development and reproduction capacity in female Hanwoo. The data sets of 52,299 reproduction records of 19,566 heads calved from 2011 to 2019 and conformation records of 19565 heads born from 1997 to 2017 were analyzed by separating them based on age at first calving. In the analysis, conformation traits included the body condition score (BCS), height (HT), body width (BW), hip bone length (HL), hip bone width (HW), and final score (FS). The heritability and genetic correlation of AFC with conformation traits and calving interval (CI) were analyzed. The heritability for AFC was 0.716, 0.087, and 0.097 for the before and after 24 months and combined data, respectively. The genetic correlation of AFC before 24 months with BCS was -0.778, -0.600 with BW, and 0.442 with HT. The genetic correlation of AFC after 24 months with HT was -0.826, -0.706 with BW, -0.623 with HL, -0.456 with HW, and -0.675 with FS. When the first calving age of young heifers approached 24 months, BCS and BW decreased, and HT increased. When first calving is delayed to after 24 months, the conformation traits become smaller, which indicates that conformation to some extent affects the delay in AFC. The genetic correlation between CI and AFC was -0.116, 0.307, and 0.250 for the before and after 24 month of AFC and combined data, respectively. When first calving date approached 24 months, CI was reduced. The obtained results suggest that it is important that first calving occurs at an appropriate age. Additional research is needed to perform proper genetic evaluation of first calving age in Hanwoo cattle in Korea.

Genome-Wide Identification of Candidate Genes for Milk Production Traits in Korean Holstein Cattle.

We performed a genome-wide association study and fine mapping using two methods (single marker regression: frequentist approach and Bayesian C (BayesC): fitting selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a Bayesian framework) through three high-density SNP chip platforms to analyze milk production phenotypes in Korean Holstein cattle (n = 2780). We identified four significant SNPs for each phenotype in the single marker regression model: AX-311625843 and AX-115099068 on Bos taurus autosome (BTA) 14 for milk yield (MY) and adjusted 305-d fat yield (FY), respectively, AX-428357234 on BTA 18 for adjusted 305-d protein yield (PY), and AX-185120896 on BTA 5 for somatic cell score (SCS). Using the BayesC model, we discovered significant 1-Mb window regions that harbored over 0.5% of the additive genetic variance effects for four milk production phenotypes. The concordant significant SNPs and 1-Mb window regions were characterized into quantitative trait loci (QTL). Among the QTL regions, we focused on a well-known gene (diacylglycerol O-acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1)) and newly identified genes (phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B), and anoctamin 2 (ANO2)) for MY and FY, and observed that DGAT1 is involved in glycerolipid metabolism, fat digestion and absorption, metabolic pathways, and retinol metabolism, and PDE4B is involved in cAMP signaling. Our findings suggest that the candidate genes in QTL are strongly related to physiological mechanisms related to the fat production and consequent total MY in Korean Holstein cattle.

Corrigendum: Genomic Prediction Accuracy Using Haplotypes Defined by Size and Hierarchical Clustering Based on Linkage Disequilibrium.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00134.].

Light-Responsive Polymeric Micellar Nanoparticles with Enhanced Formulation Stability.

Light-sensitive polymeric micelles have recently emerged as promising drug delivery systems for spatiotemporally controlled release of payload at target sites. Here, we developed diazonaphthoquinone (DNQ)-conjugated micellar nanoparticles that showed a change in polarity of the micellar core from hydrophobic to hydrophilic under UV light, releasing the encapsulated anti-cancer drug, doxetaxel (DTX). The micelles exhibited a low critical micelle concentration and high stability in the presence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) solution due to the hydrophobic and π-π stacking interactions in the micellar core. Cell studies showed enhanced cytotoxicity of DTX-loaded micellar nanoparticles upon irradiation. The enhanced stability would increase the circulation time of the micellar nanoparticles in blood, and enhance the therapeutic effectiveness for cancer therapy.

Visual assessment of preterm and full-term infants under the age of 12 months using the Preverbal Visual Assessment questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Infants develop many complex visual competences within the first 12 months of life. Premature infants are at high risk for abnormal visual and neurological development. Clinical medical history or neurologic evaluation do not give enough information on visual maturation in infants under 12 months of age. AIMS: To compare visual maturation between preterm and full-term infants aged under 12 months, using the Preverbal Visual Assessment questionnaire (PreViAs). STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cross-sectional analysis. SUBJECTS: Infants aged under 12 months, who visited our rehabilitation department for early intervention. Infants were categorized as either preterm or full-term, and assigned to one of three subgroups (0-4 months, 4-8 months, 8-12 months) according to corrected or chronological age. OUTCOME MEASURES: PreViAs scores. RESULTS: There were 200 preterm and 225 full-term infants analyzed. The mean global PreViAs scores among preterm infants were significantly lower than among full-term infants in all age groups (0-4 months: p = 0.033, 4-8 months: p = 0.005, and 8-12 months: p = 0.008). The mean global scores and four subdomain scores of the PreViAs were significantly lower (p < 0.001) in very preterm (under 32-weeks gestational age) and very low birth weight (under 1500 g birth weight) than in moderate-to-late preterm infants (between 32- to 37- weeks gestational age) and infants with birth weight above 1500 g. Patent ductus arteriosus, retinopathy of prematurity, and birth weight (percent) showed significant correlation with PreViAs global scores. CONCLUSION: PreViAs is a useful tool for visual assessment of infants under 12 months, especially in high-risk infants.

Cut-off Values of the Respiratory Muscle Power and Peak Cough Flow in Post-Stroke Dysphagia.

Background and objectives: This study aimed to determine the cut-off values of the following three respiratory pressure meters; the voluntary peak cough flow (PCF), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) and maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP); associated with post-stroke dysphagia and assess which of these parameters show good diagnostic properties associated with post-stroke dysphagia. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of a prospectively maintained database. Records of patients with first-ever diagnosed dysphagia attributable to cerebrovascular disease, who had performed spirometry measurements for the PCF, MIP and MEP. Results: From a total of 237 stroke patients, 163 patients were diagnosed with dysphagia. Those with dysphagia had significantly lower PCF values than those without dysphagia (116.3 ± 75.3 vs. 219.4 ± 91.8 L/min, p < 0.001). In addition, the former group also had lower MIP (30.5 ± 24.7 vs. 41.6 ± 25.7 cmH2O, p = 0.0002) and MEP (41.0 ± 27.9 vs. 62.8 ± 32.3 cmH2O, p < 0.001) values than the latter group. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the PCF cut-off value of 151 L/min (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve [AUC] 0.81; sensitivity 72%; specificity 78.8%) was associated with post-stroke dysphagia. The optimum MEP and MIP cut-off were 38 cmH2O (AUC 0.70, sensitivity 58%; specificity 77.7%) and 20 cmH2O (AUC 0.65, sensitivity 49%; specificity 84%). PCF showed the highest AUC results. Results from the univariate analysis indicated that PCF values of ≤151 L/min increased risk of dysphagia by 9.51-fold (4.96-18.23). Multivariable analysis showed that after controlling of other clinical factor, the PCFs at this cut-off value still showed increased risk of by 4.19 (2.02-83.69) but this was not observed with the MIPs or MEPs. Conclusions: Our study has provided cut-off values that are associated with increased risk of dysphagia. Among the three parameters, PCF showed increased association with post-stroke dysphagia.

Antirrhinum majus L. flower extract inhibits cell growth and metastatic properties in human colon and lung cancer cell lines.

Snapdragon ( Antirrhinum majus L.) flowers are one of the most frequently used edible flowers in different preparations of foods and drinks. In this study, we examined inhibitory effects of snapdragon flower extract (SFE) against distinctive properties of cancer cells, stimulated growth, and activated metastasis, using H1299 lung cancer and HCT116 colon cancer cell lines. SFE treatment at 100-1,000 µg/ml for 24-72 hr resulted in a time- and dose-dependent growth inhibition in H1299 and HCT116 cells. Cell cycle analysis and Annexin V staining assay further revealed that SFE caused cell cycle arrest at G2/M phase and induction of apoptosis, indicating the growth inhibition by SFE is attributed to its G2/M cell cycle-arresting and apoptosis-inducing activities. SFE dose-dependently enhanced generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reduced mitochondrial membrane potential in H1299 cells but had no effect on intracellular ROS levels in HCT116 cells, suggesting that the type of apoptosis induced by SFE in H1299 cells is different to that in HCT116 cells. Furthermore, SFE alleviated invasion, levels of matrix metalloproteinases, migration, and adhesion in H1299 and HCT116 cells. These results indicate that SFE not only inhibits cell growth by cell cycle arrest at G2/M and apoptosis induction but also alleviates metastatic properties such as invasion, migration, and adhesion in lung and colon cancer cells.

Estimation of Variance Components and Genomic Prediction for Individual Birth Weight Using Three Different Genome-Wide SNP Platforms in Yorkshire Pigs.

This study estimates the individual birth weight (IBW) trait heritability and investigates the genomic prediction efficiency using three types of high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping panels in Korean Yorkshire pigs. We use 38,864 IBW phenotypic records to identify a suitable model for statistical genetics, where 698 genotypes match our phenotypic records. During our genomic analysis, the deregressed estimated breeding values (DEBVs) and their reliabilities are used as derived response variables from the estimated breeding values (EBVs). Bayesian methods identify the informative regions and perform the genomic prediction using the IBW trait, in which two common significant window regions (SSC8 27 Mb and SSC15 29 Mb) are identified using the three genotyping platforms. Higher prediction ability is observed using the DEBV-including parent average as a response variable, regardless of the SNP genotyping panels and the Bayesian methods, relative to the DEBV-excluding parent average. Hence, we suggest that fine-mapping studies targeting the identified informative regions in this study are necessary to find the causal mutations to improve the IBW trait's prediction ability. Furthermore, studying the IBW trait using a genomic prediction model with a larger genomic dataset may improve the genomic prediction accuracy in Korean Yorkshire pigs.