Aims
Exopolysaccharide fraction from Pediococcus pentosaceus KFT18 (PE‐EPS), a lactic acid bacteria isolated from Kimchi (a Korean fermented vegetable product), was preliminary characterized and its ...immunostimulating effects were analysed.
Methods and Results
In this study, we used interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ)‐primed RAW 264·7 macrophages and CD3/CD28‐stimulated splenocytes to determine the immunotimulatory activities of PE‐EPS. Upon exposure to PE‐EPS, IFN‐γ‐primed RAW 264·7 macrophages showed significant increases in the expressions of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐1β. Molecular data using reporter gene assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) revealed that PE‐EPS upregulated transcriptional activity, DNA binding and the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB). Furthermore, PE‐EPS enhanced anti‐CD3/CD28‐specific proliferation and the productions of IL‐2 and IFN‐γ in primary splenocytes. In cyclophosphamide‐induced immunosuppressed mice, pretreatment with PE‐EPS (5, 15 or 45 mg kg−1 day−1, p.o.) increased thymus and spleen indices, and improved lymphocyte and neutrophil counts.
Conclusion
PE‐EPS stimulated the IFN‐γ‐primed macrophages and primary splenocytes to induce immune responses and improved the cyclophosphamide‐induced immunosuppression in mice.
Significance and Impact of the Study
The results in this study improved our understanding of immunostimulating activity of PE‐EPS and supported its potential treatment option as a natural immunostimulant.
We analyze an ensemble of microlensing events from the 2015 Spitzer microlensing campaign, all of which were densely monitored by ground-based high-cadence survey teams. The simultaneous observations ...from Spitzer and the ground yield measurements of the microlensing parallax vector , from which compact constraints on the microlens properties are derived, including 25% uncertainties on the lens mass and distance. With the current sample, we demonstrate that the majority of microlenses are indeed in the mass range of M dwarfs. The planet sensitivities of all 41 events in the sample are calculated, from which we provide constraints on the planet distribution function. In particular, assuming a planet distribution function that is uniform in , where q is the planet-to-star mass ratio, we find a 95% upper limit on the fraction of stars that host typical microlensing planets of 49%, which is consistent with previous studies. Based on this planet-free sample, we develop the methodology to statistically study the Galactic distribution of planets using microlensing parallax measurements. Under the assumption that the planet distributions are the same in the bulge as in the disk, we predict that ∼1/3 of all planet detections from the microlensing campaigns with Spitzer should be in the bulge. This prediction will be tested with a much larger sample, and deviations from it can be used to constrain the abundance of planets in the bulge relative to the disk.
We conducted a 24‐week, multicentre, double‐blind, randomized study with a 28‐week extension to compare the efficacy and safety of anagliptin and sitagliptin as an add‐on to metformin in patients ...with type 2 diabetes. Patients inadequately controlled on metformin were randomized to either anagliptin (100 mg twice daily, n = 92) or sitagliptin (100 mg once daily, n = 88). The primary endpoint was the change in glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) from baseline to week 24. The mean changes in HbA1c were −0.85 ± 0.70% (p < 0.0001) for anagliptin and −0.83 ± 0.61% (p < 0.0001) for sitagliptin, with a mean difference of −0.02% (95% confidence interval of difference, −0.22 to 0.18%). In both groups, the fasting proinsulin : insulin ratio significantly decreased from baseline, with improved insulin secretion. Safety profiles were similar in each group. In conclusion, the non‐inferiority of the efficacy of anagliptin to sitagliptin as an add‐on therapy was established with regard to efficacy and safety.
Background: Although most of the literature about health-related quality of life (HRQoL) focuses on breast cancer patients, few studies compared the HRQoL in disease-free breast cancer survivors with ...that of the general population.
Materials and methods: We administered the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 and Quality of Life Questionnaire Breast Cancer Module, McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, and Brief Fatigue Inventory to 1933 disease-free survivors for over 1 year after being diagnosed with stage 0 to III breast cancer. We performed multivariate-adjusted analyses in all HRQoL comparisons.
Results: The scores for some HRQoL scales were comparable for both disease-free breast cancer survivors and the general female population; however, there was clinically significant difference in cognitive and social functioning, fatigue, insomnia, and financial difficulties between the two groups. Radiotherapy and systemic adjuvant therapy variables did not limit the HRQoL. Demographic characteristics such as age, time since surgery, and comorbidity were associated with some HRQoL scales and fatigue and depression were associated with almost all HRQoL scales.
Conclusions: Disease-free survivors of breast cancer had good HRQoL, which was less affected by the type of treatment than it was by demographic characteristics, time since surgery, comorbidity, fatigue, and depression.
The carbon content of Earth and its core Fischer, Rebecca A.; Cottrell, Elizabeth; Hauri, Erik ...
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS,
04/2020, Volume:
117, Issue:
16
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
Earth’s core is likely the largest reservoir of carbon (C) in the planet, but its C abundance has been poorly constrained because measurements of carbon’s preference for core versus mantle materials ...at the pressures and temperatures of core formation are lacking. Using metal–silicate partitioning experiments in a laser-heated diamond anvil cell, we show that carbon becomes significantly less siderophile as pressures and temperatures increase to those expected in a deep magma ocean during formation of Earth’s core. Based on a multistage model of core formation, the core likely contains a maximum of 0.09(4) to 0.20(10) wt% C, making carbon a negligible contributor to the core’s composition and density. However, this accounts for ∼80 to 90% of Earth’s overall carbon inventory, which totals 370(150) to 740(370) ppm. The bulk Earth’s carbon/sulfur ratio is best explained by the delivery of most of Earth’s volatiles from carbonaceous chondrite-like precursors.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of user engagement in the context of online brand communities. A research model is proposed to explain how brand loyalty is developed ...through user engagement.
Design/methodology/approach
– The research model was empirically tested with an online survey study of 185 current Facebook users.
Findings
– Results revealed that user engagement influenced brand loyalty both directly and indirectly through online community commitment. Users tend to focus on the benefits (rather than the costs) derived from the usage when they engage in an online brand community.
Research limitations/implications
– The selection of respondents is bound to the Hong Kong area, while Facebook members are globally distributed. In addition, this study involved a cross-sectional design instead of investigating the development of brand loyalty from a long-term perspective.
Practical implications
– The results inform e-marketers the importance of user engagement behaviors for building brand loyalty through online communities. Strategies that encourage members to engage in online brand communities on social networking sites such as Facebook are also provided.
Originality/value
– The concept of user engagement in online brand communities is still poorly understood, underscoring the need for theoretically based research of user engagement. This paper enriches the knowledge in the area of brand engagement by presenting a research model that introduces the concept of user engagement in social media research and empirically examines its role in building brand loyalty in online brand communities.
Warehouse operations need to change due to the increasing complexity and variety of customer orders. The demand for real-time data and contextual information is requried because of the highly ...customised orders, which tend to be of small batch size but with high variety. Since the orders frequently change according to customer requirements, the synchronisation of purchase orders to support production to ensure on-time order fulfilment is of high importance. However, the inefficient and inaccurate order picking process has adverse effects on the order fulfilment. The objective of this paper is to propose an Internet of things (IoT)-based warehouse management system with an advanced data analytical approach using computational intelligence techniques to enable smart logistics for Industry 4.0. Based on the data collected from a case company, the proposed IoT-based WMS shows that the warehouse productivity, picking accuracy and efficiency can be improved and it is robust to order variability.
Recent studies have suggested potential roles of the microbiome in cervicovaginal diseases. However, there has been no report on the cervical microbiome in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). ...We aimed to identify the cervical microbiota of Korean women and assess the association between the cervical microbiota and CIN, and to determine the combined effect of the microbiota and human papillomavirus (HPV) on the risk of CIN. The cervical microbiota of 70 women with CIN and 50 control women was analysed using pyrosequencing based on the 16S rRNA gene. The associations between specific microbial patterns or abundance of specific microbiota and CIN risk were assessed using multivariate logistic regression, and the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) and the synergy index (S) were calculated. The phyla Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Tenericutes, Fusobacteria and TM7 were predominant in the microbiota and four distinct community types were observed in all women. A high score of the pattern characterized by predominance of Atopobium vaginae, Gardnerella vaginalis and Lactobacillus iners with a minority of Lactobacillus crispatus had a higher CIN risk (OR 5.80, 95% CI 1.73‒19.4) and abundance of A. vaginae had a higher CIN risk (OR 6.63, 95% CI 1.61‒27.2). The synergistic effect of a high score of this microbial pattern and oncogenic HPV was observed (OR 34.1, 95% CI 4.95‒284.5; RERI/S, 15.9/1.93). A predominance of A. vaginae, G. vaginalis and L. iners with a concomitant paucity of L. crispatus in the cervical microbiota was associated with CIN risk, suggesting that bacterial dysbiosis and its combination with oncogenic HPV may be a risk factor for cervical neoplasia.
The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy and safety of teneligliptin in combination with metformin in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who were inadequately controlled ...with metformin monotherapy. Patients glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 7.0–10.0%, on stable metformin ≥1000 mg/day were randomized 2 : 1 to receive 20 mg teneligliptin plus metformin (n = 136) or placebo plus metformin (n = 68). The primary endpoint was the change in HbA1c levels from baseline to week 16. The mean baseline HbA1c was 7.9% in the teneligliptin group and 7.8% in the placebo group. The differences between the teneligliptin and placebo groups regarding changes in HbA1c and fasting plasma glucose levels were −0.78 % and −1.24 mmol/l (22.42 mg/dl), respectively, at week 16. The incidence of adverse events was similar between the groups. The addition of teneligliptin once daily to metformin was effective and generally well tolerated in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes.
The contribution of glycaemic variability to the microvascular complication of diabetes has not been established. We examined whether there is an independent association between indices of glycaemic ...variability in continuous glucose monitoring and extent of albuminuria.
A total of 173 patients with Type 2 diabetes (without insulin therapy, n = 96; with insulin therapy, n = 77) who had unexplained large fluctuations in blood glucose values underwent three-day continuous glucose monitoring. We used a multinomial logistic regression model to determine whether the indices of glycaemic variability independently affected the odds of having a spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio of 30-299 mg/g and ≥ 300 mg/g.
Higher standard deviation (P = 0.002), mean of daily differences (P = 0.023) and mean amplitude of glycaemic excursion (P = 0.043) significantly increased the odds of having a urine albumin/creatinine ratio of ≥ 300 mg/g. In multivariable analysis, only higher standard deviation, but not mean amplitude of glycaemic excursion and mean of daily differences, independently increased the odds of having a urine albumin/creatinine ratio of ≥ 300 mg/g (P = 0.025). Coefficient of variation (sd/mean) was not associated with the odds of having a urine albumin/creatinine ratio of 30-299 or ≥ 300 mg/g.
The independent association between standard deviation and the extent of albuminuria was lost when the measures were normalized by mean glucose level. At least in terms of relative measures of glycaemic variability, we failed to demonstrate an independent association between glycaemic variability and albuminuria extent in patients with inadequately controlled Type 2 diabetes.
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