Context. The near-Earth asteroid 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB) is an attractive object not only from a scientific viewpoint but also because of JAXA’s DESTINY+ target. The rotational lightcurve and spin ...properties were investigated based on the data obtained in the ground-based observation campaign of Phaethon. Aims. We aim to refine the lightcurves and shape model of Phaethon using all available lightcurve datasets obtained via optical observation, as well as our time-series observation data from the 2017 apparition. Methods. Using eight 12-m telescopes and an optical imager, we acquired the optical lightcurves and derived the spin parameters of Phaethon. We applied the lightcurve inversion method and SAGE algorithm to deduce the convex and non-convex shape model and pole orientations. Results. We analysed the optical lightcurve of Phaethon and derived a synodic and a sidereal rotational periods of 3.6039 h, with an axis ratio of a∕b = 1.07. The ecliptic longitude (λp) and latitude (βp) of the pole orientation were determined as (308°, −52°) and (322°, −40°) via two independent methods. A non-convex model from the SAGE method, which exhibits a concavity feature, is also presented.
Background and purpose
We analyzed the incidence and causes of oral anticoagulant (OAC) cessation and subsequent stroke after OAC withdrawal in a cohort of Korean stroke patients with atrial ...fibrillation.
Methods
The Korean Atrial Fibrillation Evaluation Registry in Ischemic Stroke patients (K‐ATTENTION) is a multicenter cohort study, merging stroke registries from 11 tertiary centers in Korea. The number of OAC interruption episodes and the reasons were reviewed from hospital records. Stroke after OAC withdrawal was defined when a patient experienced ischaemic stroke within 31 days after OAC withdrawal. Clinical variables were compared between patients who experienced stroke recurrence during OAC interruption and those who did not experience recurrence.
Results
Among 3213 stroke patients with atrial fibrillation, a total of 329 episodes of OAC interruption were detected in 229 patients after index stroke (mean age 72.9 ± 8.3 years, 113 female patients). The most frequent reason for OAC withdrawal was poor compliance 103 episodes (31.3%) followed by extracranial bleeding 96 episodes (29.2%). Stroke after OAC withdrawal was noted in 13 patients. Mean age, vascular risk factor profile and mean CHA2DS2‐VASc score were not significantly different between patients with and without recurrent stroke.
Conclusions
A considerable number of stroke patients with atrial fibrillation experienced temporary interruption of OAC after index stroke, which was associated with stroke recurrence of 4.0 cases per 100 interruption episodes.
Aims
The purpose of this study was to isolate, identify and characterize an antifungal compound from Lactobacillus plantarum KCC‐10 from forage silage with potential beneficial properties.
Methods ...and Results
The 16S rRNA gene‐based phylogenetic affiliation was determined using bioinformatic tools and identified as Lactobacillus sp. KCC‐10 with 100% sequence similarity to L. plantarum. The antifungal substances were extracted with ethyl acetate from spent medium in which Lactobacillus sp. KCC‐10 was cultivated. Antifungal activity was assessed using the broth microdilution technique. The compounds were obtained by eluting the crude extract with various concentrations of solvents followed by chromatographic purification. Based on the infrared, 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and 1H NMR spectral data, the compound was identified as a phenolic‐related antibiotic. The minimum inhibitory concentration of the compound against Aspergillus clavatus, A. oryzae, Botrytis elliptica and Scytalidium vaccinii was 2·5 mg ml−1 and that against A. fumigatus, A. niger and S. fusca was 5·0 mg ml−1, respectively. In addition, Lactobacillus sp. KCC‐10 was highly sensitive towards oxgall (0·3%) but grew well in the presence of sodium taurocholate (0·3%). An antimicrobial susceptibility pattern was an intrinsic feature of this strain; thus, consumption does not represent a health risk to humans or animals.
Conclusion
Novel L. plantarum KCC‐10 with antifungal and potential probiotic properties was characterized for use in animal food.
Significance and Impact of the Study
This study revealed that L. plantarum KCC‐10 exhibited good antifungal activity similar to that of probiotic Lactobacillus strains.
Aim
To investigate the effects of LY2405319, an analogue of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), on glucose homeostasis in streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced insulin‐deficient mice (STZ mice).
Methods
...Nine‐week‐old male C57BL/6J mice were administered a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (150 mg/kg). One week later, after confirmation of hyperglycaemia, saline or LY2405319 (5 mg/kg) was injected subcutaneously daily for 4 weeks. Changes in glucose homeostasis, energy metabolism and brown adipose tissue (BAT) function were assessed.
Results
The STZ mice had elevated blood glucose and reduced plasma FGF21 levels, impaired glucose uptake in the BAT, and BAT mitochondria with absent or swollen cristae and fewer lipid vacuoles. LY2405319 significantly reduced blood glucose levels and this was associated with increased BAT glucose uptake and changes in gene expression and morphology, indicating improved mitochondrial lipid metabolism in the BAT. Importantly, the ability of LY2405319 to lower blood glucose in STZ mice was compromised after removing interscapular BAT.
Conclusions
Our results show that LY2405319 reduces blood glucose levels in insulin‐deficient diabetes by improving BAT metabolism. Additional studies investigating the therapeutic potential of FGF21 for the treatment of type 1 diabetes are warranted.
No randomized controlled trials have evaluated the comparative outcomes of cefazolin versus nafcillin for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteraemia.
A prospective observational ...cohort study including all S. aureus bacteraemia was conducted at 10 hospitals. Patients (≥15 years) with MSSA bacteraemia who received cefazolin or nafcillin as definitive antibiotics were included. The rates of treatment failure (premature discontinuation of antibiotics because of adverse effects, switching of antibiotics because of clinical failure, all-cause mortality within 1 month, or recurrence) were compared between the cefazolin and nafcillin groups. Propensity score matching analyses were performed to balance the factors influencing the selection of antibiotics.
Among the 242 included cases, the bones and joints (36.8%) were the most common sites of infection and 60.7% of the patients had sepsis. The overall treatment failure rate was 43.8% (106/242). All-cause mortality within 1 month was 6.2% (15/242). After propensity score matching, the treatment failure rate of cefazolin was lower than that of nafcillin (30.4% (24/79) vs. 49.4% (39/79), p 0.015) because of a higher rate of discontinuation caused by adverse events. When the data were limited to patients with sepsis, the treatment failure rates of both groups were not significantly different. Approximately 22% (24/110) of MSSA isolates exhibited a cefazolin-inoculum effect (CIE) that had significant impact on the failure rate and mortality of the cefazolin group.
Cefazolin might be recommended as an adequate and better-tolerated treatment for MSSA bacteraemia in the absence of CIE.
Excretion of hazardous pharmaceutical residues causes the emergence of toxic potential to the environment. Nanomedicine is commonly associated with nanoparticulate drug delivery to offer the improved ...therapeutic effects at a lower dose for disease treatments. Green chemistry aims to reduce or exclude the utilisation or generation of toxic substances in the design, manufacture and application of chemical products. The use of non-toxic and biodegradable materials in pharmaceutical formulations could minimize the adverse effects of pharmaceutical residues entering the environment in the first place. In our study, bovine serum albumin, a non-toxic, biodegradable and biocompatible protein, was used in the formation of nanoparticulate drug delivery systems. Glucose was used instead of glutaraldehyde to modify albumin nanoparticles for berberine delivery in order to prevent the potential toxicity to humans and the environment. These nanoparticles highly inhibited LX-2 cell growth and exhibited stronger caspase 3 activation at a lower dose when compared with free drug
in vitro
. Nanoparticles with berberine at doses of 1 and 2 μg g
−1
could rescue mice from CCl
4
-induced hepatotoxicity
in vivo
. Green glucose-bovine serum albumin nanoparticles could be safe and effective to deliver berberine at low doses in liver fibrosis treatment.
Use of non-hazardous materials in pharmaceutical formulation avoids the emergence of toxic potential to the environment.
Manic episodes are one of the major diagnostic symptoms in a spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders that include schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder and bipolar disorder (BD). Despite a ...possible association between BD and the gene encoding phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCG1), its etiological basis remains unclear. Here, we report that mice lacking phospholipase Cγ1 (PLCγ1) in the forebrain (Plcg1
; CaMKII) exhibit hyperactivity, decreased anxiety-like behavior, reduced depressive-related behavior, hyperhedonia, hyperphagia, impaired learning and memory and exaggerated startle responses. Inhibitory transmission in hippocampal pyramidal neurons and striatal dopamine receptor D1-expressing neurons of Plcg1-deficient mice was significantly reduced. The decrease in inhibitory transmission is likely due to a reduced number of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic boutons, which may result from impaired localization and/or stabilization of postsynaptic CaMKII (Ca
/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II) at inhibitory synapses. Moreover, mutant mice display impaired brain-derived neurotrophic factor-tropomyosin receptor kinase B-dependent synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, which could account for deficits of spatial memory. Lithium and valproate, the drugs presently used to treat mania associated with BD, rescued the hyperactive phenotypes of Plcg1
; CaMKII mice. These findings provide evidence that PLCγ1 is critical for synaptic function and plasticity and that the loss of PLCγ1 from the forebrain results in manic-like behavior.
Although capsule endoscopy has become a central diagnostic tool for small-bowel evaluation, retention of a capsule remains a major concern. This study attempted to investigate the incidence and ...clinical outcomes of capsule retention, and to determine the factors predictive of spontaneous capsule passage after retention.
Through a nationwide multicenter survey, we retrospectively reviewed the records of 1291 patients who had a capsule endoscopy between February 2002 and July 2006 in Korea. Clinical and procedural characteristics and postprocedural outcomes were analyzed for the cases with capsule retention.
Capsule retention occurred in 2.5 % of total cases (32/1291). The major diseases accompanying capsule retention were Crohn's disease, malignant tumors, and tuberculous enterocolitis, in decreasing order. In 11 of the 32 patients (34.4 %), early surgical or endoscopic interventions were instituted for diagnosis or treatment of diseases before retention symptoms developed. The remaining 21 (65.6 %) patients initially received medical treatments. Of these, 10 (31.3 %) ultimately underwent surgical intervention due to the development of symptoms of intestinal obstruction or medical treatment failure. The other 11 (34.4 %) eventually passed the capsule. The presence of a larger lumen diameter (greater than two-thirds of the capsule diameter) at the stricture site was associated with spontaneous passage.
Our large-scale study suggests that retention occurs infrequently during capsule endoscopy. Moreover, a retained capsule might indicate the best intervention for the offending pathology, or it may spontaneously pass in the long run, particularly in patients with less small bowel stricture.
The RENO experiment reports more precisely measured values of θ_{13} and |Δm_{ee}^{2}| using ∼2200 live days of data. The amplitude and frequency of reactor electron antineutrino (νover ¯_{e}) ...oscillation are measured by comparing the prompt signal spectra obtained from two identical near and far detectors. In the period between August 2011 and February 2018, the far (near) detector observed 103 212 (850 666) νover ¯_{e} candidate events with a background fraction of 4.8% (2.0%). A clear energy and baseline dependent disappearance of reactor νover ¯_{e} is observed in the deficit of the measured number of νover ¯_{e}. Based on the measured far-to-near ratio of prompt spectra, we obtain sin^{2}2θ_{13}=0.0896±0.0048(stat)±0.0047(syst) and |Δm_{ee}^{2}|=2.68±0.12(stat)±0.07(syst)×10^{-3} eV^{2}.
Objectives: To examine the prevalence of sarcopenia and sarcopenic obesity (SO) as defined by different indices, including appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM)/height2, skeletal muscle mass index ...(SMI) and residuals for Korean adults, and to explore the association between SO and metabolic syndrome. Methods: Our study sample included 526 participants (328 women, 198 men) for whom complete data on body composition were collected using available dual X-ray absorptiometry. Modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria were used to identify the individuals with metabolic syndrome. Results: The prevalence of sarcopenia and SO is higher in older adults. Using two s.d. of ASM/height2 below reference values from young, healthy adults as a definition of sarcopenia, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 6.3% and 1.3% in older (60 years) men and 4.1% and 0.8% in older women, respectively. The prevalence of sarcopenia using the residuals method was 15.4% in older men and 22.3% in older women. In addition, using two s.d. of SMI, the prevalence of sarcopenia and SO was 5.1% and 5.1%, respectively, in older men and 14.2% and 12.5%, respectively, in older women. Among women, SO subjects defined by the SMI had three times the risk of metabolic syndrome (odds ratios (OR)=3.24, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21-8.66) and non-sarcopenic obese subjects had approximately twice the risk of metabolic syndrome (OR=2.17, 95% CI=1.22-3.88) compared with normal subjects. Similar trends were observed in men. Conclusion: The prevalence and cutoff values of sarcopenia and SO in the Korean population were evaluated using different methods. Among the different indices of sarcopenia and SO, SO only defined using the SMI was associated with the risk of metabolic syndrome. As the Korean population gets older and more obese, the problematics of SO need to be elucidate.
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