Engineering for Sustainable Production of the Pomegranate Seed Oil-Derived Punicic Acid.

Punicic acid is a conjugated linolenic acid with various biological activities including antiobesity, antioxidant, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory effects. It is often used as a nutraceutical, dietary additive, and animal feed. Currently, punicic acid is primarily extracted from pomegranate seed oil, but it is restricted due to the extended growth cycle, climatic limitations, and low recovery level.

High diagnostic performance of time-resolved MR angiography in spinal arteriovenous shunts.

Background And Purpose: In comparison with the limited efficacy of conventional MR imaging and the invasiveness of catheter-based digital subtraction angiography (DSA), time-resolved MR angiography (TR-MRA) has been proposed as a promising examination for early diagnosis of spinal arteriovenous shunts (SAVSs). This paper aims to investigate the diagnostic performance of TR-MRA with scan parameters optimized for SAVSs evaluation in a large number of patients.

Methods: One hundred patients with suspected SAVSs were enrolled.

Age- and sex-specific reference values of biventricular strain and strain rate derived from a large cohort of healthy Chinese adults: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking study.

Background: As a noninvasive tool, myocardial deformation imaging may facilitate the early detection of cardiac dysfunction. However, normal reference ranges of myocardial strain and strain rate (SR) based on large-scale East Asian populations are still lacking. This study aimed to provide reference values of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) strain and SR based on a large cohort of healthy Chinese adults using cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) feature tracking (FT).

Severe community-acquired pneumonia caused by Chlamydia pecorum.

Chlamydia pecorum is a zoonotic pathogen. Here, we report the first case of human infection with C. pecorum.

Engineering to produce nutritional fatty acids: Current status and future perspectives.

Due to their vital physiological functions, nutritional fatty acids have great potential as nutraceutical food supplements for preventing an array of diseases such as inflammation, depression, arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer. Microbial biosynthesis of fatty acids follows the trend of sustainable development, as it enables green, environmentally friendly and efficient production. As a natural oleaginous yeast, is especially well-suited for the production of fatty acids.

Engineering Yarrowia lipolytica to produce advanced biofuels: Current status and perspectives.

Energy security and global climate change have necessitated the development of renewable energy with net-zero emissions. As alternatives to traditional fuels used in heavy-duty vehicles, advanced biofuels derived from fatty acids and terpenes have similar properties to current petroleum-based fuels, which makes them compatible with existing storage and transportation infrastructures. The fast development of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology has shown that microorganisms can be engineered to convert renewable feedstocks into these advanced biofuels.

Biventricular Morphology and Function Reference Values Derived From a Large Sample of Healthy Chinese Adults by Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Quantification of cardiac structure and function is essential for diagnostic interpretation and clinical decision making. We sought to establish cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) reference values of left and right ventricular (LV and RV) morphology and function based on a large sample of healthy Chinese adults. Five hundred fifty validated healthy Chinese adults (aged 21-70 years; 323 men) free of hypertension, diabetes, and obesity were included in this study.

Wall enhancement characteristics of vertebrobasilar nonsaccular aneurysms and their relationship to symptoms.

Purpose: This study aims to explore wall enhancement characteristics of vertebrobasilar nonsaccular aneurysms (VBNAs) and their relationship to clinical symptoms.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed VBNAs in the high resolution MR vessel wall imaging (HR-VWI) databases at two institutions. The aneurysmal basic characteristics and wall enhancement characteristics, were evaluated by two radiologists.

Surveillance of abdominal aortic aneurysm using accelerated 3D non-contrast black-blood cardiovascular magnetic resonance with compressed sensing (CS-DANTE-SPACE).

Background: 3D non-contrast high-resolution black-blood cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) (DANTE-SPACE) has been used for surveillance of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and validated against computed tomography (CT) angiography. However, it requires a long scan time of more than 7 min. We sought to develop an accelerated sequence applying compressed sensing (CS-DANTE-SPACE) and validate it in AAA patients undergoing surveillance.

Correlation between left ventricular myocardial strain and left ventricular geometry in healthy adults: a cardiovascular magnetic resonance-feature tracking study.

This study was aimed to investigate the correlation between left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain and LV geometry in healthy adults using cardiovascular magnetic resonance-feature tracking (CMR-FT). 124 gender-matched healthy adults who underwent healthy checkup using CMR cine imaging were retrospectively analyzed. Peak global radial, circumferential, longitudinal strain (GRS, GCS and GLS) for left ventricle were measured.

Evaluation of the distribution and progression of intraluminal thrombus in abdominal aortic aneurysms using high-resolution MRI.

Background: Intraluminal thrombus (ILT) signal intensity on MRI has been studied as a potential marker of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) progression.

Purpose: 1) To characterize the relationship between ILT signal intensity and AAA diameter; 2) to evaluate ILT change over time; and 3) to assess the relationship between ILT features and AAA growth.

Study Type: Prospective.

A distinct clinicopathological variant of focal cortical dysplasia IIId characterized by loss of layer 4 in the occipital lobe in 12 children with remote hypoxic-ischemic injury.

Objective: In 2011, the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) proposed a consensus classification system of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) to distinguish clinicopathological subtypes, for example, "isolated" FCD type Ia-c and IIa-b, versus "associated" FCD type IIIa-d. The histopathological differentiation of FCD type I and III variants remains, however, a challenging issue in everyday practice. We present a unique histopathological pattern in patients with difficult-to-diagnose FCD, which highlights this dilemma, but also helps to refine the current ILAE classification scheme of FCD.

Prospective ECG-triggered coronary CT angiography: clinical value of noise-based tube current reduction method with iterative reconstruction.

Objectives: To evaluate the clinical value of noise-based tube current reduction method with iterative reconstruction for obtaining consistent image quality with dose optimization in prospective electrocardiogram (ECG)-triggered coronary CT angiography (CCTA).

Materials And Methods: We performed a prospective randomized study evaluating 338 patients undergoing CCTA with prospective ECG-triggering. Patients were randomly assigned to fixed tube current with filtered back projection (Group 1, n = 113), noise-based tube current with filtered back projection (Group 2, n = 109) or with iterative reconstruction (Group 3, n = 116).

Noise-based tube current reduction method with iterative reconstruction for reduction of radiation exposure in coronary CT angiography.

Purpose: To investigate the potential of noise-based tube current reduction method with iterative reconstruction to reduce radiation exposure while achieving consistent image quality in coronary CT angiography (CCTA).

Materials And Methods: 294 patients underwent CCTA on a 64-detector row CT equipped with iterative reconstruction. 102 patients with fixed tube current were assigned to Group 1, which was used to establish noise-based tube current modulation formulas, where tube current was modulated by the noise of test bolus image.

Optimization of contrast medium protocol in CT coronary arteriography: constant injection dose rate adapted to body weight.

Background: Fixed dose contrast medium (CM) injection protocols are often used in CT coronary arteriography (CTCA). However, vascular enhancement is related to body weight and injection dose rate.

Purpose: To compare aortic enhancement and coronary imaging quality between a fixed dose CM injection protocol and one adapted to body weight with a constant injection dose rate in mg I/kg/s.

Evaluation of right ventricular function by 64-row CT in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cor pulmonale.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical application value of right ventricle (RV) function measured by 64 multi-detector row CT (MDCT) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cor pulmonale.

Materials And Methods: Sixty-three consecutive patients with COPD and cor pulmonale were referred for electrocardiographically gated MDCT for evaluation of suspected or known coronary artery disease. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for cardiac function analysis was performed on the same day.

Multiphase contrast-saline mixture injection with dual-flow in 64-row MDCT coronary CTA.

Purpose: To explore the feasibility of multiphase contrast-saline mixture with dual-flow injection technique for visualization of right ventricular (RV) cavity and interventricular septum (IVS) in 64-row multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) coronary angiography.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-four patients underwent coronary CT angiography (CTA) imaging with 64-row MDCT. In twelve patients (group A), 60 ml contrast medium (CM) bolus was followed by 40 ml saline, and in the other twelve patients (group B), 50 ml CM bolus was followed by 50 ml contrast-saline mixture at 60:40 ratio.

Role of Pax4 in Pdx1-VP16-mediated liver-to-endocrine pancreas transdifferentiation.

Although Pdx1-VP16 expression induces hepatic cell transdifferentiation into pancreatic precursor cells (WB-1), these incompletely reprogrammed cells fail to become glucose-sensitive insulin-producing cells in the absence of the activation of late-stage pancreatic transcription factors. As Pax4 promotes late-stage beta-cell differentiation and maturation, we generated lentiviral vector (LV) containing mouse Pax4 gene and developed two hepatic cell lines expressing Pax4 in the absence (WB-2 cells) or presence (WB-1A cells) of Pdx1-VP16, via LV-mediated gene transfer. Functional Pax4 protein expression in WB-2 and WB-1A cells was confirmed by electrophoretic mobility shift assay and Pdx1-VP16 protein expression in WB-1 and WB-1A cells was confirmed by Western blotting.

Reprogramming liver-stem WB cells into functional insulin-producing cells by persistent expression of Pdx1- and Pdx1-VP16 mediated by lentiviral vectors.

Adenovirus-mediated transient expression of the pancreatic duodenal homeobox transcription factor Pdx1 in mouse liver activates pancreatic endocrine and exocrine genes, the latter reportedly resulting in severe hepatitis. Expression of a super-active form of Pdx1 or Pdx1-VP16 selectively transdifferentiates hepatic WB cells into functional pancreatic beta-like insulin-producing cells, without evidence of exocrine differentiation. No study has systematically compared the transdifferentiation efficiency of Pdx1 and Pdx1-VP16 at the cellular and molecular level.

High glucose is necessary for complete maturation of Pdx1-VP16-expressing hepatic cells into functional insulin-producing cells.

Pdx1 has been shown to convert hepatocytes into both exocrine and endocrine pancreatic cells in mice, but it fails to selectively convert hepatocytes into pure insulin-producing cells (IPCs). The molecular mechanisms underlying the transdifferentiation remain unclear. In this study, we generated a stably transfected rat hepatic cell line named WB-1 that expresses an active form of Pdx1 along with a reporter gene, RIP-eGFP.

In vivo and in vitro characterization of insulin-producing cells obtained from murine bone marrow.

Efforts toward routine islet cell transplantation as a means for reversing type 1 diabetes have been hampered by islet availability as well as allograft rejection. In vitro transdifferentiation of mouse bone marrow (BM)-derived stem (mBMDS) cells into insulin-producing cells could provide an abundant source of autologous cells for this procedure. For this study, we isolated and characterized single cell-derived stem cell lines obtained from mouse BM.

Comparison of the effects of polysaccharides from wood-cultured and bag-cultured Ganoderma lucidum on murine spleen lymphocyte proliferation in vitro.

Aim: To compare the influences of wood-cultured Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (Gl-PS-WC) and bag-cultured Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (Gl-PS-BC) on the proliferation activities of murine spleen lymphocytes in vitro, and investigate whether Gl-PS-BC can be substituted for Gl-PS-WC.

Methods: Mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) reaction, lymphocyte proliferation induced by concanavalin A (Con A, 1 mg.L-1) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 mg.

Regulatory effect of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides on cytotoxic T-lymphocytes induced by dendritic cells in vitro.

Aim: To study the regulatory effects of Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (Gl-PS) on cytotoxicity and mechanism of specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL) induced by dendritic cells (DC) in vitro during the stage of antigen presentation.

Methods: Cultured murine bone marrow-derived DC were pulsed with P815 tumor cell lysates and co-incubated with or without various concentrations of Gl-PS (0.8, 3.

Regulation on maturation and function of dendritic cells by Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides.

Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (Gl-PS) exhibits a variety of immunomodulatory activities, and dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen presenting cells, which are pivotal for initiation of primary immune response. In this study, the regulatory effects of Gl-PS on maturation and function of cultured murine bone marrow derived DC were investigated in vitro. Gl-PS (0.