Natural occurrence of zearalenone in rice and soybean produced in Korea

88 rice and 75 soybean samples were collected from 8 provinces of Korea from March through September in 1988. The Fusarium mycotoxins, zearalenone was analyzed by direct competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. 10.2% of rice and 9.3 % of soybean samples contained detectable zearalenone. The average levels of zearalenone of rice and soybean samples were 11.78μg/kg and 7.70μ/kg, respectively.     

The value of decreasing the duration of the infectious period of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection

Finding medications or vaccines that may decrease the infectious period of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could potentially reduce transmission in the broader population. We developed a computational model of the U.S. simulating the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and the potential clinical and economic impact of reducing the infectious period duration. Simulation experiments found that reducing the average infectious period duration could avert a median of 442,852 [treating 25% of symptomatic cases, reducing by 0.5 days, reproductive number (R₀) 3.5, and starting treatment when 15% of the population has been exposed] to 44.4 million SARS-CoV-2 cases (treating 75% of all infected cases, reducing by 3.5 days, R₀ 2.0). With R₀ 2.5, reducing the average infectious period duration by 0.5 days for 25% of symptomatic cases averted 1.4 million cases and 99,398 hospitalizations; increasing to 75% of symptomatic cases averted 2.8 million cases. At $500/person, treating 25% of symptomatic cases saved $209.5 billion (societal perspective). Further reducing the average infectious period duration by 3.5 days averted 7.4 million cases (treating 25% of symptomatic cases). Expanding treatment to 75% of all infected cases, including asymptomatic infections (R₀ 2.5), averted 35.9 million cases and 4 million hospitalizations, saving $48.8 billion (societal perspective and starting treatment after 5% of the population has been exposed). Our study quantifies the potential effects of reducing the SARS-CoV-2 infectious period duration.     

Poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate) production from whey by high-density cultivation of recombinant Escherichia coli

Recombinant Escherichia coli strain GCSC 6576, harboring a high-copy-number plasmid containing the Ralstonia eutropha genes for polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) synthesis and the E. coli ftsZ gene, was employed to produce poly-(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) from whey. pH-stat fed-batch fermentation, using whey powder as the nutrient feed, produced cellular dry weight and PHB concentrations of 109 g l⁻¹ and 50 g l⁻¹ respectively in 47 h. When concentrated whey solution containing 210 g l⁻¹ lactose was used as the nutrient feed, cellular dry weight and PHB concentrations of 87 g l⁻¹ and 69 g l⁻¹ respectively could be obtained in 49 h by pH-stat fed-batch culture. The PHB content was as high as 80% of the cellular dry weight. These results suggest that cost-effective production of PHB is possible by fed-batch culture of recombinant E. coli using concentrated whey solution as a substrate. Received: 19 December 1997 / Received revision: 17 March 1998 / Accepted: 20 March 1998     

Suppression of PPARγ through MKRN1-mediated ubiquitination and degradation prevents adipocyte differentiation

The central regulator of adipogenesis, PPARγ, is a nuclear receptor that is linked to obesity and metabolic diseases. Here we report that MKRN1 is an E3 ligase of PPARγ that induces its ubiquitination, followed by proteasome-dependent degradation. Furthermore, we identified two lysine sites at 184 and 185 that appear to be targeted for ubiquitination by MKRN1. Stable overexpression of MKRN1 reduced PPARγ protein levels and suppressed adipocyte differentiation in 3T3-L1 and C3H10T1/2 cells. In contrast, MKRN1 depletion stimulated adipocyte differentiation in these cells. Finally, MKRN1 knockout MEFs showed an increased capacity for adipocyte differentiation compared with wild-type MEFs, with a concomitant increase of PPARγ and adipogenic markers. Together, these data indicate that MKRN1 is an elusive PPARγ E3 ligase that targets PPARγ for proteasomal degradation by ubiquitin-dependent pathways, and further depict MKRN1 as a novel target for diseases involving PPARγ.     

Effect of the N-terminal hydrophobic sequence of hepatitis B virus surface antigen on the folding and assembly of hybrid beta-galactosidase in Escherichia coli

To investigate the mechanism of inclusion body formation and the effect of a hydrophobic sequence on the in vivo polypeptide folding, the aggregation caused by recombinant fusion beta-galactosidase in Escherichia coli was examined. Two plasmids were constructed: pTBG(H-) carried only the preS2 sequence of the hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg) in front of the beta-galactosidase gene (lacZ) while pTBG(H+) carried an additional sequence encoding the amino-terminal hydrophobic sequence of the S region of HBsAg between preS2 and lacZ. Unlike cells expressing the fusion protein not containing the hydrophobic sequence, E. coli JM109/pTBG(H+) exhibited temperature-sensitive production of beta-galactosidase. As the culture temperature increased the activity decreased dramatically. This decrease in activity was not due to a decrease in fusion polypeptide production, but rather the fusion polypeptides containing the hydrophobic sequence aggregated within the cells at high temperature. However once the fusion polypeptides folded into proper conformation at low temperature, they maintained the activity even at high temperature. The results indicate that aggregation is a consequence of incorrect folding and assembly of the polypeptides, and is not derived from the native structure. The aggregates of the pTBG(H+)-encoded fusion polypeptides did not revert to active form when the culture temperature was lowered.     

Selection and proliferation of rapid growing cell lines from embryo derived cell cultures of yew tree (Taxus cuspidata Sieb. et Zucc)

Calli were induced from 300,000 embryos isolated from immature to mature stage of seeds collected on late September from 14 elite trees. When the embryos were cultured onto plastic Petri-dish containing 20 mL of modified B5 basal medium supplemented with 3% (w/v) sucrose, 500 mg/L casein hydrolysate, 250 mg/L myo-inositol, 0.5% (w/v) polyvinyl polypyrrolidon (PVPP), 2×MS vitamins, 0.5 mg/L gibberellic acid, and 10 mg/L 2,4-D after 2 weeks of culture, yellowish-white calli were immediately formed on the surfaces of embryos, and subcultured for 4 weeks in same culture medium. Because most of calli maintained for more than 3 months were revealed differences in their colors, surface texture, and growth rate, visual selection was made for first round screening. When the size of visually selected calli larger than 19 mm in their diameter were inoculated, persistent proliferation was observed. Among the plating methods tested for the selection of rapid growing cell lines at single cell and/or small cell aggregate level, 2-layer spread plating revealed as the best for single cell cloning. To enhance cell growth and maintain high rate of viability for long-term culture of yew cells in bioreactor, final cell volume less than 50% in SCV seemed to be the best. Time course study revealed that 30% of inoculum density was suitable for fed batch culture. Among the tested conditional media, the rate of 1∶2 (old medium: fresh medium) was recorded at the best for cell growth.     

Cognitive Impairment,Depression, Comorbidity of the Two and Associated Factors among the Early Sixties in a Rural Korean Community

This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of cognitive impairment, depression, and comorbidity of the two conditions and related factors in subjects aged in early 60s. This cross-sectional study included 3,174 inhabitants aged 60–64 years old in a rural area of Korea. Cognitive function was evaluated by the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-K), and depression was measured using the short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15). The overall prevalence of cognitive impairment (MMSE-K≤24) was 17.4%, that of depression was 26.0% (GDS-15≥8), and the co-morbidity was 7.1%. Female gender, living with one housemate, and high GDS-15 score were significantly associated with increased cognitive impairment. Employment status and more years of schooling were associated with a decreased probability of cognitive impairment. Increased depression was significantly associated with bereavement and receiving benefits from the Medical Aid Program. Employed status, more years of schooling, and higher MMSE-K scores were significantly associated with decreased depression. The risk of comorbidity was associated with bereavement and receipt of Medical Aid benefits (odds ratio[OR], 1.85; 95% confidence interval[CI], 1.26–2.71; OR, 5.02; 95% CI, 2.37–10.63; respectively). Employment and more years of schooling were associated with a lower risk of comorbidity (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.34–0.62, P-trend <0.01). The correlated factors for cognitive impairment, depression, and comorbidity of the two conditions were similar, and employment status and years of schooling were associated with all three conditions.     

Design,synthesis, and evaluation of curcumin analogues as potential inhibitors of bacterial sialidase

Sialidases are key virulence factors that remove sialic acid from the host cell surface glycan, unmasking receptors that facilitate bacterial adherence and colonisation. In this study, we developed potential agents for treating bacterial infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae Nan A that inhibit bacterial sialidase using Turmeric and curcumin analogues. Design, synthesis, and structure analysis relationship (SAR) studies have been also described. Evaluation of the synthesised derivatives demonstrated that compound 5e was the most potent inhibitor of S. pneumoniae sialidase (IC₅₀?=?0.2?±?0.1?µM). This compound exhibited a 3.0-fold improvement in inhibitory activity over that of curcumin and displayed competitive inhibition. These results warrant further studies confirming the antipneumococcal activity 5e and indicated that curcumin derivatives could be potentially used to treat sepsis by bacterial infections.