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Pathophysiological background in different phenotypes of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains to be elucidated. The aim was to investigate the association between fecal and blood microbiota profiles and the presence of NAFLD in obese versus lean subjects. Demographic and clinical data were reviewed in 268 health checkup examinees, whose fecal and blood samples were available for microbiota analysis. NAFLD was diagnosed with ultrasonography, and subjects with NAFLD were further categorized as obese (body mass index (BMI) ≥25) or lean (BMI <25). Fecal and blood microbiota communities were analyzed by sequencing of the V3-V4 domains of the 16S rRNA genes. Correlation between microbiota taxa and NAFLD was assessed using zero-inflated Gaussian mixture models, with adjustment of age, sex, and BMI, and Bonferroni correction. The NAFLD group (n = 76) showed a distinct bacterial community with a lower biodiversity and a far distant phylotype compared with the control group (n = 192). In the gut microbiota, the decrease in Desulfovibrionaceae was associated with NAFLD in the lean NAFLD group (log2 coefficient (coeff.) = -2.107, P = 1.60E-18), but not in the obese NAFLD group (log2 coeff. = 1.440, P = 1.36E-04). In the blood microbiota, Succinivibrionaceae showed opposite correlations in the lean (log2 coeff. = -1.349, P = 5.34E-06) and obese NAFLD groups (log2 coeff. = 2.215, P = 0.003). Notably, Leuconostocaceae was associated with the obese NAFLD in the gut (log2 coeff. = -1.168, P = 0.041) and blood (log2 coeff. = -2.250, P = 1.28E-10). In conclusion, fecal and blood microbiota profiles showed different patterns between subjects with obese and lean NAFLD, which might be potential biomarkers to discriminate diverse phenotypes of NAFLD.

Do liberals’ and conservatives’ brain processes differ in moral reasoning? This research explains these groups’ dissimilar moral stances when they face ethical transgressions in business. Research that explores the effects of ideological asymmetry on moral reasoning processes through moral foundations (i.e., fairness and authority) has been limited. We hypothesize two different moral reasoning processes and test them in the South Korean culture. Study 1 uses the neuroscientific method of event-related potentials (ERP) to explore the dissociable neural mechanisms that underlie Korean liberals’ and conservatives’ moral reasoning processes in business ethical transgressions. Liberals’ early frontal negative-going (EFN) brain waves showed that they are quick to pass negative judgment by intuitively detecting violations of fairness (i.e., moral engagement), while conservatives’ temporoparietal positive-going (TPP) brain waves showed that they have a higher motivation to respect authority (i.e., moral rationalization). Both liberals’ and conservatives’ ERP components occur within the first second of the decision-making phase, suggesting the rapid and intuitive nature of moral reasoning processes. Study 2 tests a mediating process and confirms that Korean liberals (conservatives) exhibit the moral engagement (rationalization) strategy, through the fairness (authority) foundation. These findings from our interdisciplinary research deepen the knowledge of the complexity of human morality in business ethics research.

Sixty patients with ITP were enrolled in a phase 1–2 trial of the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor rilzabrutinib for increasing platelet count. During 24 weeks, 40% of the patients who started rilzabrutinib at the 400-mg twice-daily dose had a platelet count of at least 50×10 3 per cubic millimeter. Adverse events were grade 1 or 2 and transient, with no high-grade bleeding or thrombotic events.

Aim Ambrosia trifida L. is designated as an invasive exotic plants in South Korea. Despite its widespread distribution in South Korea, research on A. trifida is limited. Organic matter input by A. trifida litter decomposition is predicted to change the soil environment. In this study, we investigated the effects of A. trifida litter decomposition on soil nutrient status. Methods We used the litterbag method to investigate the decomposition rate, decay constant ( k ), carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio, and nutrient dynamics of A. trifida litter during decomposition. Results The decay constants ( k ) of leaf, stem, and root litter after 11 months of decomposition were 1.93, 1.47, and 1.28, respectively. After 22 months of decomposition, the decay constants ( k ) of leaf, stem, and root litter were 1.01, 0.99 and 1.84, respectively. After 22 months, approximately 85% of organic matter, 79% of nitrogen (N), 98% of phosphorus (P), 96% of potassium (K), 96% of magnesium (Mg), and 69% of calcium (Ca) were returned to the soil. Conclusion Our results provide key insights into the nutrients exchange between A. trifida and soil. Given the biological characteristics of A. trifida , the input of a large amount of organic matter to the soil and the nutrients released through the decomposition of this organic matter are expected to enhance the growth and nutrient absorption of A. trifida in invaded areas.

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in throughfall plays a vital role in providing carbon and energy to organisms in forests. We utilized carbon isotope analysis to allocate the sources of throughfall DOC, including leaching from plant tissues, PM2.5 deposition on plant foliage, and precipitation. Rainwater, PM2.5, and throughfall samples were collected from pine and oak forests between March and November 2021. The mean concentration of throughfall DOC was 7.9 mg L−1, approximately six times higher than that of rainfall. The mean Δ14C of throughfall DOC was −38.2‰, ∼200‰ higher than that of rainwater or PM2.5. Mass balance estimates revealed that canopy leaching contributed to ∼83% of throughfall DOC, while desorption of PM2.5 and rainwater accounted for only ∼3% and ∼14% of throughfall DOC, respectively. These results clearly highlight canopy leaching as the primary source of carbon input to the forest floor, with a relatively minor contribution from PM2.5 desorption on leaves. Plain Language Summary Canopy leaching occurs when raindrops hit leaves and branches before falling to the ground. This brings dissolved organic carbon (DOC) into forest ecosystems, providing carbon and energy for organisms. The wash‐off of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from tree leaves can also contribute to throughfall DOC. Both canopy leaching and PM2.5 contain organic carbon showing humic‐like fluorescence spectra, making it difficult to quantify how much throughfall DOC comes from canopy leaching or desorption of PM2.5 from leaves. Here, we employed carbon isotope analysis to differentiate three sources of throughfall DOC: leaching from plant tissues, PM2.5 deposition on plant foliage, and precipitation. Rainwater, atmospheric PM2.5, and throughfall samples were collected from pine and oak forests in South Korea between March and November 2021. The mean concentration of throughfall DOC was six times larger than that of rainfall, and the mean Δ14C of throughfall DOC exceeded those of rainwater or PM2.5. Mass balance estimates indicated canopy leaching accounted for roughly 83% of throughfall DOC, while desorption of PM2.5 from leaves and rainwater contributed only 3% and 14% to throughfall DOC, respectively. These results clearly demonstrate that leaching from plant tissues, not PM2.5 on plants, predominantly controls throughfall DOC composition. Key Points Isotopic ratios of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in throughfall differed from those in rainwater and atmospheric fine particles About 83% of DOC in throughfall was due to leaching of tree canopy Desorption of PM2.5 from plant foliage accounted for only ∼3% of DOC in throughfall

Surface water concentrations of CO2, CH4, and N2O have rarely been measured simultaneously in river systems modified by human activities, contributing to large uncertainties in estimating global riverine emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs). Basin-wide surveys of the three GHGs were combined with a small number of measurements of C isotope ratios in dissolved organic matter (DOM), CO2, and CH4 in the Han River basin, South Korea, to examine how longitudinal patterns of the three gases and DOM are affected by four cascade dams along a middle section of the North Han River (hereafter termed “middle reach”) and treated wastewater discharged to the lower Han River (“lower reach”) traversing the Seoul metropolitan area. Monthly monitoring and two-season comparison were conducted at 6 and 15 sites, respectively, to measure surface water gas concentrations and ancillary water quality parameters including concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and optical properties of DOM. The basin-wide surveys were complemented with a sampling cruise along the lower reach and synoptic samplings along an urban tributary delivering effluents from a large wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to the lower reach. The levels of pCO2 were relatively low in the middle reach (51–2465 µatm), particularly at the four dam sites (51–761 µatm), compared with those found in the largely forested upper basin with scattered patches of croplands (163–2539 µatm), the lower reach (78–11298 µatm), and three urban tributaries (2120–11970 µatm). The upper and middle reaches displayed generally low concentration ranges of CH4 and N2O, with some local peaks influenced by agricultural runoff and impoundments. By comparison, the lower reach exhibited exceptionally high concentrations of CH4 (1.2–15766 nmol L−1) and N2O (7.5–1396 nmol L−1), which were significantly correlated with different sets of variables such as DO and PO43- for CH4 and NH4+ and NO3- for N2O. Downriver increases in the levels of DOC and optical properties such as fluorescence index (FI) and protein-like fluorescence indicated an increasing DOM fraction of anthropogenic and microbial origin. The concentrations of the three GHGs and DOC were similar in magnitude and temporal variation at a WWTP discharge and the receiving tributary, indicating a disproportionate contribution of the WWTP effluents to the tributary gas and DOC exports to the lower reach. The values of δ13C in surface water CO2 and CH4 measured during the sampling cruise along the lower reach, combined with δ13C and Δ14C in DOM sampled across the basin, implied a strong influence of the wastewater-derived gases and aged DOM delivered by the urban tributaries. The downstream enrichment of 13C in CO2 and CH4 suggested that the spatial distribution of these gases across the eutrophic lower reach may also be constrained by multiple concomitant processes including outgassing, photosynthesis, and CH4 oxidation. The overall results suggest that dams and urban wastewater may create longitudinal discontinuities in riverine metabolic processes leading to large spatial variations in the three GHGs correlating with different combinations of DOM properties and nutrients. Further research is required to evaluate the relative contributions of anthropogenic and in-stream sources of the three gases and DOM in eutrophic urbanized river systems and constrain key factors for the contrasting impoundment effects such as autotrophy-driven decreases in pCO2 and in-lake production of CH4 and N2O.

Eco-friendly consumption is important for solving climate crisis and moving humanity toward a better future. However, few consumers are willing to pay premiums for eco-friendly products. We investigated the psychological and neural factors that can increase eco-friendly consumption. We propose an experience of awe, in which the individual self is temporarily attenuated as the importance of beings other than oneself increases. Behavioral (Study 1) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI; Study 2) experiments were conducted to explore the awe mechanisms through which climate crisis messages lead to eco-friendly consumption. In Study 1, we found participants felt awe when exposed to climate crisis messages, and their choice of eco-friendly consumption increased. In Study 2, we found that when individuals were exposed to messages depicting the climate crisis (as opposed to a control stimulus), their brains exhibited a lower level of activation in the self-awareness processing and a higher level of activation in external attention processing areas. These results suggest that the awe experience plays an important role in promoting eco-friendly consumption. Marketing must evolve from satisfying basic individual needs to a high level for the well-being of humanity, the planet, and the biosphere. This study sheds light on our understanding of human perceptions of the climate crisis and suggests an effective communication strategy to increase individuals’ eco-friendly actions.

Background The intra-abdominal cavity, surrounded by adipocytes, is the main metastatic site of epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancer. Epidemiological and molecular studies have demonstrated a link between adipose tissue and ovarian cancer. However, the clinical significance of fatty tissue has not been elucidated. Thus, we investigated the clinical significance of body composition in patients with epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancer. Methods Fat and skeletal muscle areas were measured using software based on pretreatment computed tomography scans at the third lumbar vertebra. Fat-to-muscle ratios were calculated using the total (visceral and subcutaneous) fat area or visceral fat area. High fat-to-muscle ratios were defined by values greater than the mean. Sarcopenia was defined as a skeletal muscle index < 38.7 cm 2 /m 2 . The clinicopathological parameters and survival of 153 patients were analyzed. Results High visceral fat-to-muscle ratios and sarcopenia at the time of diagnosis were observed in 43.8% and 33.3% of the patients, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that high visceral fat-to-muscle ratio ( p = 0.014), advanced Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage ( p = 0.008), and chemoresistance ( p = 0.027) were independent factors for worse overall survival. Patients with high visceral fat-to-muscle ratios were older, had higher body mass indexes, and were more likely to have diabetes/hypertension, serous cancer subtypes, and implementation of neoadjuvant chemotherapy than those with low visceral fat-to-muscle ratios. The platelet count was significantly higher in the high visceral fat-to-muscle ratio group than in the low visceral fat-to-muscle ratio group ( p = 0.011). Conclusions Pretreatment visceral fat area could be an independent predictive factor of overall survival in patients with epithelial ovarian, fallopian tube, and peritoneal cancer and may be significantly associated with thrombocytosis.

BackgroundTo evaluate the usefulness of urine SERPINC1 and ORM1 as biomarkers for early detection of lupus nephritis (LN).MethodsUsing proteomics, we screened for potential urine biomarkers that differentiate LN from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients without nephritis. In addition, urine levels of target biomarkers were measured by ELISA in 13- and 23-week-old MRL-lpr (murine model for LN) and MRL/MpJ mice. Histological analysis was also performed on the kidneys of 23-week-old mice.ResultsUrine SERPINC1 and ORM1 were elevated in SLE patients with newly diagnosed LN compared with SLE patients without LN (SERPINC1, AUC=.892, P<.001; ORM1, AUC=.886, P<.001). Levels of urine SERPINC1 and ORM1 were also significantly higher in MRL-lpr mice than in MRL/MpJ mice at 13 and 23 weeks (SERPINC1: p<.01 and p<.001 at 13 and 23 weeks, respectively; ORM1: p<.01 at 13 and 23 weeks). In contrast, a significant difference in urine albumin between the two groups was only observed at 23 weeks (p<.001) not at 13 weeks (p=.83). Regarding the kidney pathology of MPL-lpr mice, urine ORM1 and urine albumin, but not urine SERPINC1, were positively correlated with the activity index (ORM1, rho =.879, p<.001; albumin, rho =.807, p=.003) and chronicity index (ORM1, rho =.947, p<.001; albumin, rho =.869, p<.001).ConclusionWe propose that urine SERPINC1 and ORM1 are novel biomarkers for early LN.