Background
Microbes in the airway have been shown to be associated with the pathogenesis of asthma. The upper airway microbiome influences the dysbiosis of the lower airway microbiome. However, to ...date, the influence of upper airway microbiome for adult and elderly asthma has not been fully elucidated. Here, the metagenome of upper airway microbiome of young adults and elderly was analyzed to identify their association with adult asthma.
Methods
Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from young adult and elderly asthma patients and non‐asthmatic subjects. The compositions and functional genes of airway microbiome were analyzed by high‐throughput sequencing.
Results
The composition of microbiota differed between young adult and elderly, and it was different between asthmatics and non‐asthmatics in each age group. Different bacteria were related to FEV1% predicted in each age group. Genes related to lysine degradation, N‐glycan biosynthesis, caprolactam degradation, and PPAR signaling pathway, which could be related to the reduction in inflammation and degradation of air pollutants, were higher in non‐asthmatics. Genes related to pentose phosphate pathway, lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, flagella assembly, and bacterial chemotaxis—which may all be related to increased inflammation and colonization of pathogenic bacteria—were higher in young adult asthmatic patients. However, the functional genes of airway microbiome in elderly patients were not significantly different according to asthma morbidity.
Conclusions
These results suggest that the composition and function of upper airway microbiome could influence asthma pathogenesis, and the microbiome could play various roles depending on the age group.
The upper airway microbiome was different between young adults and elderly, and their association with asthma was also different.
The microbiome genes reducing airway inflammation and degrading air pollutants were lower in asthmatics, whereas genes enhancing inflammation and mucosal bacterial colonization were higher in asthmatics of young adults.
The composition and function of upper airway microbiome could influence asthma pathogenesis, and the microbiome could play various roles depending on the age group.
Vanadium dioxide (VO2) is widely known as one of the excellent thermochromic materials based on a reversible insulator‐to‐metal phase transition upon temperature change. In this study, VO2 (M) powder ...was initially synthesized through a hydrothermal method and a subsequent post‐annealing treatment. Additionally, a particle size of the VO2 (M) powder was reduced and uniformized by introducing a ball‐milling process. The resultant VO2 (M) nanoparticles (NPs) were dispersed in ethanol with the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). The ethanolic dispersion was then coated on a transparent heater used as a substrate by spin‐coating to produce VO2 (M)/PVP composite films. We have attained an exact temperature control of the films by applying voltages to the heater for the assessment of their thermochromic performance such as the solar and the infrared modulation ability. For example, the film temperature could be raised from room temperature to 85.5°C within 180 s at a low voltage of 11 V, which was enough for inducing the phase transition of the VO2 (M) NPs showing the infrared modulation ability of 19.3%. The combination of the composite films and the heater was thus proved to be a promising way for realizing transparent thermochromic devices.
Purpose
This study aimed to advance the MetaLAB algorithm and verify its performance with multicenter data to effectively detect major adverse drug reactions (ADRs), including drug‐induced liver ...injury.
Methods
Based on MetaLAB, we created an optimal scenario for detecting ADRs by considering demographic and clinical records. MetaLAB‐HOI was developed to identify ADR signals using common model‐based multicenter electronic health record (EHR) data from the clinical health outcomes of interest (HOI) template and design for drug‐exposed and nonexposed groups. In this study, we calculated the odds ratio of 101 drugs for HOI in Konyang University Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, Chungbuk National University Hospital, and Seoul National University Bundang Hospital.
Results
The overlapping drugs in four medical centers are amlodipine, aspirin, bisoprolol, carvedilol, clopidogrel, clozapine, digoxin, diltiazem, methotrexate, and rosuvastatin. We developed MetaLAB‐HOI, an algorithm that can detect ADRs more efficiently using EHR. We compared the detection results of four medical centers, with drug‐induced liver injuries as representative ADRs.
Conclusions
MetaLAB‐HOI's strength lies in fully utilizing the patient's clinical information, such as prescription, procedure, and laboratory results, to detect ADR signals. Considering changes in the patient's condition over time, we created an algorithm based on a scenario that accounted for each drug exposure and onset period supervised by specialists for HOI. We determined that when a template capable of detecting ADR based on clinical evidence is developed and manualized, it can be applied in medical centers for new drugs with insufficient data.
In this study, the conventional simulations on particle beam extraction was performed using a plasma-based or particle-in-cell method. Subsequently, its validity was verified through comparisons with ...the conventional simulation results using the finite element method. A three-dimensional finite element method was employed as a tool to simulate the motion of charged particles that are constrained by a specific geometric structure and subjected to various specified forces. This study investigated the features of carbon-ion beam extraction and the effects of the particle beam conditions on the three-electrode extraction system of a gaseous ion source by simulating the ion beam properties using the COMSOL Multiphysics software package. The AC/DC module in this software package was used to simulate the electrostatic field, whereas the Particle Tracing Module in the package was used to extract the ion beam. This package was used to analyze the beam trajectories and their dependence on particle properties under electrostatic boundary conditions, using bidirectionally coupled particle tracing. Consequently, Twiss parameters and root mean square (rms) beam emittance of the particle beam were calculated for the particle positions and divergence in their phase space. The feasibility of the particle beam extraction performed using this approach was confirmed through comparisons with the simulation results obtained using other ion source extraction programs. Furthermore, the effectiveness of a more user-friendly multiphysics based simulation was evaluated based on the rms beam emittance.
Abstract
Background
Most previous studies used aluminum hydroxide-absorbed allergen extracts in evaluating the potential therapeutic roles of intralymphatic allergen-specific immunotherapy (ILAIT). ...In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy and safety of ILAIT with L-tyrosine-adsorbed allergen extracts of
Dermatophagoides farinae
,
D. pteronyssinus
, cat, dog, or mixtures thereof, in patients with allergic rhinitis induced by these allergens.
Methods
In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, study subjects received three intralymphatic injections of L-tyrosine-adsorbed allergen extracts (active group) or saline (placebo group) at 4-week intervals.
Results
Although ILAIT reduced daily medication use and skin reactivity to HDM and cat allergens at 4 months after treatment, overall symptom score on a visual analog scale (VAS), sinonasal outcome test-20 (SNOT-20), rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ), daily symptom score (dSS), daily medication score (dMS), daily symptom medication score (dSMS), nasal reactivity to HDM allergen, and basophil activity to HDM, cat, and dog allergens at 4 months and 1 year after treatment were similar between the treatment and control groups. Intralymphatic injection was more painful than a venous puncture, and pain at the injection site was the most frequent local adverse event (12.8%); dyspnea and wheezing were the most common systemic adverse events (5.3%).
Conclusions
ILAIT with L-tyrosine-adsorbed allergen extracts does not exhibit profound therapeutic efficacy in allergic rhinitis and can provoke moderate-to-severe systemic reactions and cause pain at the injection site.
Trial registration:
clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02665754; date of registration: 28 January 2016
Purpose
Chronic cough is a common problem in various populations. The present study assessed the impact of cough and unmet needs in Korean patients with chronic cough.
Methods
This cross-sectional ...multi-center study enrolled adult patients newly referred to clinic for assessment of chronic cough. A second group of patients with unexplained chronic cough following detailed assessment were recruited for comparison. Patients completed self-reported questionnaires, including cough characteristics, impact of cough on daily life, and unmet needs.
Results
A total of 447 subjects were recruited from six referral clinics, including 408 with chronic cough and 39 with unexplained chronic cough. Almost all patients reported that cough impacted their daily lives. Psychosocial impacts were more evident in unexplained cough patients compared to newly referred patients. Approximately 75% of newly referred patients had previously sought medical care for cough on multiple occasions, but the effectiveness of treatment was limited (70.3%) or absent (17.3%). The most frequent unmet need was the ineffectiveness of treatment (49.3%), followed by unclear diagnosis (30.1%). The majority of participants ( > 80%) expressed the need for further information on accessing cough specialists and disease management. The main problem faced by unexplained cough patients was poor cough control despite treatment (64%).
Conclusions
Chronic cough has a substantial impact on daily life and is worst in those whose cough remains unexplained following assessment. Ineffectiveness of treatment and unclear diagnosis were major unmet needs. Medical information about chronic cough was also lacking. Improvements in the management of chronic cough patients in Korea are necessary.
Background This study was conducted to verify the effects of adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on tendon healing and reversal of fatty infiltration in a chronic rotator cuff tear model by using the ...rabbit subscapularis (SSC). Methods The SSC insertions in 32 rabbits were cut bilaterally. After 6 weeks, secondary procedures were performed bilaterally, dividing the rabbits into 4 groups of 8 rabbits each as follows: the ADSC+repair group, saline+repair group, ADSC-only group, and saline-only group. A fifth group of 8 rabbits served as normal controls (control group). Electromyographic, biomechanical, and histologic analyses were performed 6 weeks after the secondary procedures. Results All SSC tendons in the ADSC-only and saline-only groups failed to heal and were excluded from the electromyographic and biomechanical tests. On electromyographic evaluation, the ADSC+repair group exhibited a larger compound muscle action potential area than the saline+repair group (11.86 ± 2.97 ms · mV vs 9.42 ± 3.57 ms · mV, P = .029), and this response was almost at the level of the control group (13.17 ± 6.6 3 ms · mV, P = .456). Biomechanically, the load-to-failure of the ADSC+repair group (87.02 ± 29.81 N) was higher than that of the saline+repair group (59.85 ± 37.77 N), although this difference did not reach statistical significance ( P = .085). Histologically, the mean proportions of fatty infiltration in the SSC muscles were 29% ± 15%, 43% ± 9%, 51% ± 14%, 63% ± 10%, and 18% ± 9% for the ADSC+repair, saline+repair, ADSC-only, saline-only, and control groups, respectively ( P < .001). The degree of fat staining increased from the ADSC+repair group (unclear or weak) to the saline-only group (strongly present). Conclusion Local administration of ADSCs might have the possibility to improve muscle function and tendon healing and decrease fatty infiltration after cuff repair.
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