Effects of the Korean carcass-grading system on carcass traits and meat quality parameters for the
longissimus dorsi (LD) and
semimembranosus (SM) muscles were investigated for Hanwoo steer beef. ...High quality grade beef cuts had significantly higher intramuscular fat content than those of low quality grade beef cuts. To establish a guaranteed system of eating quality for Hanwoo steer beef, a palatability prediction model was developed. The model development approach used canonical discriminant analysis and multivariate regression to assess effects of muscle type, cooking method, and aging treatment on Hanwoo beef quality grade. The palatability prediction model can provide Korean consumers with detailed information about expected eating quality for an individual cut, as well as provide critical information to the industry for maintaining high-quality beef production. The model is a significant advance in grading compared with the traditional carcass grading system, which applies a single quality grade to an entire carcass.
We investigated to determine if there is an increased rate of urothelial carcinoma (UC) in kidney transplant (KT) recipients and to compare oncological outcomes of UC in KT recipients with non-KT ...patients.
Among 2,186 patients who underwent KT in our institute, nine patients developed UC after KT in our center. Age-standardized rates (ASRs) were calculated to compare incidence rates of UC between KT patients and the general population. Additional five patients who underwent KT at other hospitals and received UC treatment at our center were included, thus a total of 14 KT patients were compared with non-KT patients in the aspect of the treatment outcomes of bladder cancer and upper urinary tract UC (UTUC) by using generalized estimating equation (GEE).
The ASRs of bladder cancer and UTUC in KT recipients were 25.5 and 129.5 times higher than that of the general population. Although there was no difference in bladder cancer-specific survival rates (
-value 0.1186), however, progression rates of bladder cancer were significantly higher in KT recipients with a relative risk of 10.53 (
-value 0.0481). There was no significant difference in UTUC recurrence, progression, and specific survival rate (
-values 0.8915, 0.8806, and 0.8116, respectively).
Incidence of UC was much higher in KT recipients than the general population. Treatment outcomes for UC in KT recipients were not inferior to those of non-KT patients, except for the progression of bladder cancer. Special attention should be paid to screening and treatment of UC in KT recipients.
Growing evidence suggests that obesity, an established cause of renal cell cancer (RCC), may also be associated with a better prognosis. To evaluate the association between RCC survival and obesity, ...we analyzed a large cohort of patients with RCC and undertook a meta‐analysis of the published evidence. We collected clinical and pathologic data from 1,543 patients who underwent nephrectomy for RCC between 1994 and 2008 with complete follow‐up through 2008. Patients were grouped according to BMI (kg/m2): underweight <18.5, normal weight 18.5 to <23, overweight 23 to <25 and obese ≥25. We estimated survival using the Kaplan–Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models to examine the impact of BMI on overall survival (OS) and cancer‐specific survival (CSS) with adjustment for covariates. We performed a meta‐analysis of BMI and OS, CSS and recurrence‐free survival (RFS) from all relevant studies using a random‐effects model. The 5‐year CSS increased from 76.1% in the lowest to 92.7% in the highest BMI category. A multivariate analysis showed higher OS hazard ratio (HR) = 0.45; 95% CI: 0.29–0.68) and CSS (HR = 0.47; 95% CI: 0.29–0.77 in obese patients than in normal weight patients. The meta‐analysis further corroborated that high BMI significantly improved OS (HR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.43–0.76), CSS (HR = 0.59; 95% CI: 0.48–0.74) and RFS (HR = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.30–0.81). Our study shows that preoperative BMI is an independent prognostic indicator for survival among patients with RCC.
Muscular dystrophy (MD) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous group of disorders. Here, we performed targeted sequencing of 18 limb‐girdle MD (LGMD)‐related genes in 35 patients who were ...highly suspected of having MD. We identified one or more pathogenic variants in 23 of 35 patients (65.7%), and a genetic diagnosis was performed in 20 patients (57.1%). LGMD2B was the most common LGMD type, followed by LGMD1B, LGMD2A, and LGMD2G. Among the three major LGMD types in this group, LGMD1B was correlated with the lowest creatine kinase (CK) levels and the earliest onset, whereas LGMD2B was correlated with the highest CK levels and the latest onset. Thus, next‐generation sequencing‐based gene panels can be a helpful tool for the diagnosis of MDs, particularly in young children and those displaying atypical symptoms.
Recent studies have shown that green tea polyphenols reduce free radical-induced lipid peroxidation. Oxygen free radical injury plays an important role in neuronal damage induced by brain ischemia ...and reperfusion. The purpose of this study was to examine whether (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) would reduce neuronal damage after transient global ischemia in the gerbils because EGCG has a potent antioxidant property as a green tea polyphenol. To produce transient global ischemia, both common carotid arteries were occluded for 3 min with microaneurysmal clips. The gerbils were treated with EGCG (10, 25, or 50 mg/kg, i.p.) immediately after ischemia. Neuronal cell damage in the hippocampal CA1 region was evaluated quantitatively 5 days after ischemia by a blinded investigator. EGCG at the dose of 10 mg/kg failed to reduce hippocampal neuronal damage. However, EGCG when administered at the dose of 25 or 50 mg/kg significantly reduced hippocampal neuronal damage in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.001, respectively). The present results show that the green tea polyphenol, EGCG, has a neuroprotective effect against neuronal damage following global ischemia in the gerbils.
Polyphenolic compounds present in green tea, particularly catechins, are known to have strong anti-influenza activity. The goal of this study was to determine whether green tea by-products could ...function as an alternative to common antivirals in animals compared to original green tea. Inhibition of viral cytopathic effects ascertained by neutral red dye uptake was examined with 50% effective (virus-inhibitory) concentrations (EC50) determined. Against the H1N1 virus A/NWS/33, we found the anti-influenza activity of green tea by-products (EC50 = 6.36 µg/mL) to be equivalent to that of original green tea (EC50 = 6.72 µg/mL). The anti-influenza activity of green tea by-products was further examined in mouse and chicken influenza infection models. In mice, oral administration of green tea by-products reduced viral titers in the lungs in the early phase of infection, but they could not protect these animals from disease and death. In contrast, therapeutic administration of green tea by-products via feed or water supplement resulted in a dose-dependent significant antiviral effect in chickens, with a dose of 10 g/kg of feed being the most effective (P < 0.001). We also demonstrated that unidentified hexane-soluble fractions of green tea by-products possessed strong anti-influenza activity, in addition to ethyl acetate-soluble fractions, including catechins. This study revealed green tea by-product extracts to be a promising novel antiviral resource for animals.
•TEPIE contains heavy load of metal pollutants.•TEPIE critically affects in vivo and biochemical endpoints in C. vulgaris.•Gradual reduction of total protein and chlorophyll contents were in a ...concentration (effluent) dependent manner.•Concentration-dependent increases were observed in ROS with SOD and CAT activities.
The microalga Chlorella vulgaris is one of the prominent and most widely distributed green microalgae found in aquatic environments, often used in toxicity tests due to its sensitivity to various pollutants. To examine the toxicity of metals found in the effluent discharges from an electroplating industry, physicochemical parameters in the microalga C. vulgaris were measured. pH, turbidity, total dissolved solids, color, and the concentrations of metals such as chromium (1.97 mg/L), mercury (104.2 mg/L), and zinc (167.25 mg/L) were found exceeding the permissible limits. Several endpoints such as total protein content, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, photosynthetic pigment contents, and antioxidant enzymatic activities, including those of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), were measured in C. vulgaris in response to treated electroplating industrial effluent (TEPIE). In addition, concentration-dependent morphological changes were also observed in response to TEPIE. Under both acute and chronic TEPIE exposure, increase in the ROS level was observed indicating increased production of ROS in C. vulgaris cells. The total protein and chlorophyll contents were found to be gradually decreasing in an effluent concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, lower concentrations of effluent stimulated the antioxidant enzyme systems. A concentration-dependent increase was observed in both SOD and CAT enzymatic activities. The results indicated toxic impairments by the effluent on the function of C. vulgaris in response to both acute and chronic exposure, indicating an urgent need of proper treatment processes/modification of the existing one of TEPIE, with continuous monitoring of the discharge of the pollutants into the aquatic ecosystems using biological assays.
We sought to evaluate the impact of cilostazol on neointimal hyperplasia after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM).
Although cilostazol has reduced the ...extent of neointimal hyperplasia and restenosis in patients after bare-metal stent implantation, it is not known whether this effect occurs after DES implantation in diabetic patients.
This randomized, multicenter, prospective study compared triple antiplatelet therapy (aspirin, clopidogrel, and cilostazol, triple group, n = 200) and dual antiplatelet therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel, standard group, n = 200) for 6 months in patients with DM receiving DES. The primary end point was in-stent late loss at 6 months.
The 2 groups had similar baseline clinical and angiographic characteristics. The in-stent (0.25 +/- 0.53 mm vs. 0.38 +/- 0.54 mm, p = 0.025) and in-segment (0.42 +/- 0.50 mm vs. 0.53 +/- 0.49 mm, p = 0.031) late loss were significantly lower in the triple versus standard group, as were 6-month in-segment restenosis (8.0% vs. 15.6%, p = 0.033) and 9-month target lesion revascularization (TLR) (2.5% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.034). At 9 months, major adverse cardiac events, including death, myocardial infarction, and TLR, tended to be lower in the triple than in the standard group (3.0% vs. 7.0%, p = 0.066). Multivariate analysis showed that sirolimus-eluting stents and the use of cilostazol were strong predictors of reduced restenosis or TLR.
Triple antiplatelet therapy after DES implantation decreased angiographic restenosis and extent of late loss, resulting in a reduced risk of 9-month TLR compared with dual antiplatelet therapy in diabetic patients.
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