AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 on insulin resistance induced using tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) in rat L6 skeletal muscle cells and on ...the KK‐AY mouse noninsulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) model. METHODS AND RESULTS: The treatment using HY8101 improved the insulin‐stimulated glucose uptake and translocation of GLUT4 via the insulin signalling pathways AKT and IRS‐1(Tyr) in TNF‐α‐treated L6 cells. HY8101 increased the mRNA levels of GLUT4 and several insulin sensitivity‐related genes (PPAR‐γ) in TNF‐α‐treated L6 cells. In KK‐AY mice, HY8101 decreased fasting insulin and blood glucose and significantly improved insulin tolerance. HY8101 improved diabetes‐induced plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride (TG) levels and increased the muscle glycogen content. We observed concurrent transcriptional changes in the skeletal muscle tissue and the liver. In the skeletal muscle tissue, the glycogen synthesis‐related gene pp‐1 and GLUT4 were up‐regulated in mice receiving HY8101 treatment. In the liver, the hepatic gluconeogenesis‐regulated genes (PCK1 and G6PC) were down‐regulated in mice receiving HY8101 treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 can be used to moderate glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity in mice and in cells. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Bifidobacterium lactis HY8101 might have potential as a probiotic candidate for alleviating metabolic syndromes such as diabetes.
The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is a commonly used instrument to measure depressive symptomatology. Despite this, the evidence for its psychometric properties remains ...poorly established in Chinese populations. The aim of this study was to validate the use of the CES-D in Chinese primary care patients by examining factor structure, construct validity, reliability, sensitivity and responsiveness.
The psychometric properties were assessed amongst a sample of 3686 Chinese adult primary care patients in Hong Kong. Three competing factor structure models were examined using confirmatory factor analysis. The original CES-D four-structure model had adequate fit, however the data was better fit into a bi-factor model. For the internal construct validity, corrected item-total correlations were 0.4 for most items. The convergent validity was assessed by examining the correlations between the CES-D, the Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) and the Short Form-12 Health Survey (version 2) Mental Component Summary (SF-12 v2 MCS). The CES-D had a strong correlation with the PHQ-9 (coefficient: 0.78) and SF-12 v2 MCS (coefficient: -0.75). Internal consistency was assessed by McDonald's omega hierarchical (ωH). The ωH value for the general depression factor was 0.855. The ωH values for "somatic", "depressed affect", "positive affect" and "interpersonal problems" were 0.434, 0.038, 0.738 and 0.730, respectively. For the two-week test-retest reliability, the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.91. The CES-D was sensitive in detecting differences between known groups, with the AUC >0.7. Internal responsiveness of the CES-D to detect positive and negative changes was satisfactory (with p value <0.01 and all effect size statistics >0.2). The CES-D was externally responsive, with the AUC>0.7.
The CES-D appears to be a valid, reliable, sensitive and responsive instrument for screening and monitoring depressive symptoms in adult Chinese primary care patients. In its original four-factor and bi-factor structure, the CES-D is supported for cross-cultural comparisons of depression in multi-center studies.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Summary
Background
Many bacterial components in indoor dust can evoke inflammatory pulmonary diseases. Bacteria secrete nanometre‐sized vesicles into the extracellular milieu, but it remains to be ...determined whether bacteria‐derived extracellular vesicles in indoor dust are pathophysiologically related to inflammatory pulmonary diseases.
Objective
To evaluate whether extracellular vesicles (EV) in indoor air are related to the pathogenesis of pulmonary inflammation and/or asthma.
Methods
Indoor dust was collected from a bed mattress in an apartment. EV were prepared by sequential ultrafiltration and ultracentrifugation. Innate and adaptive immune responses were evaluated after airway exposure of EV.
Results
Repeated intranasal application of indoor‐dust‐induced neutrophilic pulmonary inflammation accompanied by lung infiltration of both Th1 and Th17 cells. EV 50–200 nm in diameter were present (102.5 μg protein concentration/g dust) in indoor dust. These vesicles were internalized by airway epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages, and this process was blocked by treatment of polymyxin B (an antagonist of lipopolysaccharide, an outer‐membrane component of Gram‐negative bacteria). Intranasal application of 0.1 or 1 μg of these vesicles for 4 weeks elicited neutrophilic pulmonary inflammation. This phenotype was accompanied by lung infiltration of both Th1 and Th17 cells, which were reversed by treatment of polymyxin B. Serum dust EV‐reactive IgG1 levels were significantly higher in atopic children with asthma than in atopic healthy children and those with rhinitis or dermatitis.
Conclusion & Clinical Relevance
Indoor dust EV, especially derived from Gram‐negative bacteria, is a possible causative agent of neutrophilic airway diseases.
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.
Background
Viral pathogen–associated molecular patterns, such as dsRNA, disrupt airway tolerance to inhaled allergens. Specifically, the Th2 and Th17 cell responses are induced by low‐dose dsRNA and ...the Th1‐dominant response by high‐dose dsRNA.
Objective
In this model, we evaluate the role of TNF‐α in the development of adaptive immune dysfunction to inhaled allergens induced by airway sensitization with dsRNA‐containing allergens.
Methods
A virus‐associated asthma mouse model was generated via simultaneous airway administration of ovalbumin (OVA) and low (0.1 μg) or high (10 μg) doses of polyinosine–polycytidylic acid (polyI:C). The effect of TNF‐α on Th2 airway inflammation was evaluated using TNF‐α‐deficient mice and recombinant TNF‐α.
Results
TNF‐α production was enhanced by airway exposure to low and high doses of polyI:C. After airway sensitization with OVA plus low‐dose polyI:C, TNF‐α‐deficient mice exhibited less OVA‐induced airway inflammation than did wild‐type (WT) mice. However, this did not occur upon sensitization with high‐dose polyI:C. In terms of T‐cell response, the production of IL‐4 from lung T cells after OVA challenge was enhanced by airway sensitization with OVA plus low‐dose polyI:C in WT mice, and this phenotype was inhibited by the absence of TNF‐α. Moreover, the Th2 cell response induced by sensitization with OVA plus low‐dose polyI:C, which was abolished in TNF‐α‐deficient mice, was restored in these mice upon addition of recombinant TNF‐α.
Conclusion
The results of this study suggest that TNF‐α produced by airway exposure to low‐dose dsRNA is a key mediator in the development of Th2 cell response to inhaled allergens.
Merons which are topologically equivalent to one-half of skyrmions can exist only in pairs or groups in two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnetic (FM) systems. The recent discovery of meron lattice in ...chiral magnet Co
Zn
Mn
raises the immediate challenging question that whether a single meron pair, which is the most fundamental topological structure in any 2D meron systems, can be created and stabilized in a continuous FM film? Utilizing winding number conservation, we develop a new method to create and stabilize a single pair of merons in a continuous Py film by local vortex imprinting from a Co disk. By observing the created meron pair directly within a magnetic field, we determine its topological structure unambiguously and explore the topological effect in its creation and annihilation processes. Our work opens a pathway towards developing and controlling topological structures in general magnetic systems without the restriction of perpendicular anisotropy and Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction.
Abstract Large proportions of women have turned to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for relief from their menopausal symptoms. This highlights the need for more rigorous research into ...CAM. This article is aimed at critically reviewing surveys that examine the prevalence of CAM use by menopausal women worldwide. Eleven databases were searched for peer-reviewed surveys published in any language between 01 January 2000 and 27 October 2012. The bibliographies of the retrieved articles and relevant book chapters were also hand searched. Twenty-six surveys were identified, and they included a total of 32,465 menopausal women. The majority of these surveys were of poor methodological quality. Based on 6 surveys, 32.9% of women stated they were current/regular CAM users. Based on 9 surveys, 50.5% of women reported that they used CAM specifically for their menopausal symptoms. The average 12-month prevalence of CAM use was 47.7% (range: 33.1–56.2). Fifty-five percent of women did not disclose their use of CAM to their healthcare professional. The majority of women sought information about CAM from the media. The most popular CAM modality was herbal medicine, followed by soy/phytoestrogens, evening primrose oil, relaxation and yoga. There are a large number of predominantly low-quality surveys monitoring the prevalence of CAM use among menopausal women worldwide. The available evidence suggests that the prevalence of CAM use is high.
COVID-19-related fear negatively affects the public's psychological well-being and health behaviours. Although psychological distress including depression and anxiety under COVID-19 is ...well-established in literature, research scarcely evaluated the fear of COVID-19 with a large sample using validated scale. This study aimed to validate a Korean version of fear scale(K-FS-8) using an existing fear scale(Breast Cancer Fear Scale; 8 items) and to measure the fear of COVID-19 in South Korea. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted with 2235 Korean adults from August to September 2020. The Breast Cancer Fear Scale was translated from English into Korean using forward-backward translation, and then face validity was assessed. Patient Health Questionnaire-4 and Primary Care Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Screen for DSM-5 were used for assessing convergent validity of K-FS-8, and item response theory analysis was also conducted to further validate the K-FS-8. This study confirmed the validity and reliability of the K-FS-8. The validity of the scale was confirmed by convergent validity, known-group validity and item response theory analysis, and internal consistency was also examined(Cronbach's α coefficient = 0.92). This study also identified that 84.6% participants had high COVID-19 fear; whilst 26.3%, 23.2% and 13.4% participants had high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive and anxiety symptoms, respectively. The K-FS-8 showed the acceptability measuring the fear of COVID-19 in the Korean population. The K-FS-8 can be applied to screen for fear of COVID-19 and related major public health crises identifying individuals with high levels of fear in primary care settings who will benefit from psychological support.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Intimate partner sexual violence (IPSV) among emerging adults, including heterosexuals and sexual minorities in the Chinese population, is poorly understood. Focusing on college students, the ...objectives of the present study were to estimate the prevalence of IPSV among Chinese emerging adults, examine the association between sexual orientation and IPSV, and evaluate the mental health and quality of life of survivors of IPSV. Data were collected from four university campuses in Hong Kong. A total of 1,015 participants were included in the data analysis. The prevalence of IPSV as identified by Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS)-2 was 12.1%. There was no gender difference in the prevalence of IPSV. Multiple logistic regression found that being older; having experienced childhood sexual abuse and having a smoking habit; and belonging to a sexual minority were factors associated with IPSV. Multiple linear regression found that IPSV survivors were more likely to have higher levels of anxiety and depression, more severe psychosomatic symptoms, and poorer quality of life in three domains: psychological, social relationships, and environment when compared with those without IPSV experience. The documented factors underscored the importance of awareness that men and sexual minorities might incur IPSV, which should receive more attention in IPSV prevention programs. Also, interventions for IPSV survivors should be targeted at improving their mental health and quality of life and sex education should place more emphasis on sexual consent and sexual health in dating relationships.
BackgroundThe ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has major impacts on health systems, the economy and society. Assessing infection attack rates in the population is critical for ...estimating disease severity and herd immunity which is needed to calibrate public health interventions. We have previously shown that it is possible to achieve this in real time to impact public health decision making.AimOur objective was to develop and evaluate serological assays applicable in large-scale sero-epidemiological studies.MethodsWe developed an ELISA to detect IgG and IgM antibodies to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). We evaluated its sensitivity and specificity in combination with confirmatory microneutralisation (MN) and 90% plaque reduction neutralisation tests (PRNT
) in 51 sera from 24 patients with virologically confirmed COVID-19 and in age-stratified sera from 200 healthy controls.ResultsIgG and IgM RBD ELISA, MN and PRNT
were reliably positive after 29 days from illness onset with no detectable cross-reactivity in age-stratified controls. We found that PRNT
tests were more sensitive in detecting antibody than MN tests carried out with the conventional 100 tissue culture infectious dose challenge. Heparinised plasma appeared to reduce the infectivity of the virus challenge dose and may confound interpretation of neutralisation test.ConclusionUsing IgG ELISA based on the RBD of the spike protein to screen sera for SARS-CoV-2 antibody, followed by confirmation using PRNT
, is a valid approach for large-scale sero-epidemiology studies.
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