Monitoring of ant species surrounding the ports of South Korea.

The introduction and spread of invasive insects is accelerating worldwide owing to human activities, such as trade and transportation development; in particular, ports are hubs and routes for invasive insects, including ants. We surveyed ant populations in eight ports from 2021 to 2023 using pitfall traps. A total of 316,975 ants belonging to four subfamilies, 26 genera and 44 species were identified as , , and .

Investigation of Novel Aronia Bioactive Fraction-Alginic Acid Nanocomplex on the Enhanced Modulation of Neuroinflammation and Inhibition of Aβ Aggregation.

Background/objectives: Aronia extract or its active compounds, especially anthocyanin, have shown potential for Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related pathologies, including neuroinflammation, fibrillogenesis of amyloid beta (Aβ), and cognitive impairment. However, there was still concern about their structural instability in vivo and in vitro. To solve the instability of anthocyanins, we combined aronia bioactive factions (ABFs) and alginic acid via electrostatic molecular interactions and created an ABF-alginic acid nanocomplex (AANCP).

Polysaccharide Fraction Isolated from Exhibits Anti-Cancer Effects Through Immunostimulating Activities.

The present research aimed to assess the anti-cancer effects of the polysaccharide fraction (SJP) isolated from . The release of immune-activating cytokines, including IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α, was markedly stimulated by the SJP in a concentration-dependent manner within the range of 1 to 100 µg/mL. Furthermore, the prophylactic intravenous () and per os () injection of SJP boosted the cytolytic activity mediated by NK cells and CTLs against tumor cells.

Multi-omic insights into molecular mechanism and therapeutic targets in spinocerebellar ataxia type 7.

Recent advances in molecular science have significantly enlightened our mechanistic understanding of spinocerebellar ataxia type 7. To further close remaining gaps, we performed a multi-omics analysis using SCA7 mice. Entire brain tissue samples were collected from 12-week-old mice, and RNA sequencing, methylation analysis, and proteomic analysis were performed.

Anticancer effect of a single-chain variable fragment against pro-matrix metalloproteinase-7 in colon cancer.

Disrupting the interaction between matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7) and syndecan-2 (SDC-2) can yield anticancer effects in colon cancer cells. Here, a single-chain variable fragment (scFv) targeting the pro-domain of MMP-7 was generated as a potential candidate anticancer agent. Among the generated scFvs, those designated 1B7 and 1C3 showed the strongest abilities to inhibit the ability of MMP-7 pro-domain to directly interact with SDC-2 in vitro and decrease the cancer activities of human HT29 colon adenocarcinoma cells.