Objectives: To investigate antibody production in asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients. Methods: Sera from asymptomatic to severe COVID-19 patients were collected. Microneutralization (MN), ...fluorescence immunoassay (FIA), and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were performed. Results: A total of 70 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients were evaluated, including 15 asymptomatic/anosmia, 49 mild symptomatic, and 6 pneumonia patients. The production of the neutralizing antibody was observed in 100% of pneumonia, 93.9% of mild symptomatic, and 80.0% of asymptomatic/anosmia groups. All the patients in the pneumonia group showed high MN titer (≥1:80), while 36.7% of mild symptomatic and 20.0% of asymptomatic/anosmia groups showed high titer (p < 0.001). Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies could be more sensitively detected by FIA IgG (98.8%) and ELISA (97.6%) in overall. For the FIA IgG test, all patients in the pneumonia group exhibited a high COI value (≥15.0), while 89.8% of mild symptomatic and 73.3% of asymptomatic/anosmia groups showed a high value (p = 0.049). For the ELISA test, all patients in the pneumonia group showed a high optical density (OD) ratio (≥3.0), while 65.3% of mild symptomatic and 53.3% of asymptomatic/anosmia groups showed a high ratio (p = 0.006). Conclusions: Most asymptomatic and mild COVID-19 patients produced the neutralizing antibody, although the titers were lower than pneumonia patients. ELISA and FIA sensitively detected anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
Oxidative stress is associated with the increased risk of hypertension (HTN). This cross-sectional study is aimed to identify the association between the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ ...(PPARD) polymorphism and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), an oxidative stress marker which is related to HTN development, and to determine whether PPARD gene is a candidate gene for HTN.
One thousand seven hundred ninety-three individuals with normal blood pressure (BP) and HTN were included in this cross-sectional study. The Korean Chip was used to obtain genotype data. Through the analysis, the ten most strongly associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were nominated for an MDA-related SNP. Among them, the rs7770619 polymorphism was identified in the PPARD gene. The CT genotype of the PPARD rs7770619 C>T polymorphism was associated with a lower risk of HTN before and after adjustments for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, and drinking. Significant associations were observed between plasma MDA and the PPARD rs7770619 C>T polymorphism and between systolic BP and the PPARD rs7770619 SNP in the controls. The CT controls showed significantly lower systolic BP and plasma MDA than the CC controls. Additionally, in both controls and HTN patients, the CT subjects showed significantly lower serum glucose and higher adiponectin levels than the CC subjects. Furthermore, the CT subjects showed significantly higher serum free fatty acid levels than the CC subjects among the HTN patients.
This is a new finding that the PPARD rs7770619 C>T SNP is a novel candidate variant for HTN based on the association between PPARD and plasma MDA in a Korean population.
In the present study, we performed a differential proteomic analysis using 2-DE combined with MS to clarify the molecular mechanism for the suppressive effect of chitosan oligosaccharides (CO) during ...differentiation of adipocyte 3T3-L1. Cell differentiation was significantly inhibited by CO at the concentration of 4 mg/mL. Protein mapping of adipocyte homogenates by 2-DE revealed that numerous protein spots were differentially altered in response to CO treatment. Out of 50 identified proteins showing significant alterations, six were up-regulated and 44 were down-regulated by CO treatment in comparison to control mature adipocytes. Among them, most of the proteins are associated with lipid metabolism, cytoskeleton, and redox regulation, in which the levels of farnesyl diphosphate synthetase (FDS), dedicator of cytokinesis 9 (DOCK9), and chloride intracellular channel 1 (CLIC1) were significantly reduced (>two-fold) with CO treatment. These results have not previously been examined in the context of adipogenesis, and thus can be used as novel biomarkers. Taken together with immunoblot analysis, it was concluded that the inhibitory effect of CO on adipocyte differentiation was mediated by C/EBPα and PPARγ pathway through significant downregulations of important adipogenic molecules such as fatty acid binding protein and glucose transporter 4.
A number of compounds isolated from mushrooms have exhibited disease-modifying effects. We sought to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of an extract from the ...mushroom species Sarcodon asparatus (SAE). Male BALB/c mice (N=42; 6 weeks old) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups. Intraperitoneal administration of SAE significantly attenuated lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated increases in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity. LPS also increased serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, which were dose-dependently and significantly attenuated by SAE. Correlative relationships between serum ALT activity and proinflammatory cytokines suggested that SAE-mediated suppression of liver injury was partly attributable to the attenuation of serum inflammatory responses. SAE significantly decreased hepatic NO• production and subsequent 3-nitrotyrosine formation, and the hepatic NO• production significantly correlated with serum ALT and cytokine levels, suggesting that SAE mitigates liver injury in association with inflammatory processes, likely by suppressing NO• production. Anti-inflammatory activity and further mechanisms of SAE were evaluated using RAW264.7 with LPS challenge. Noncytotoxic levels of SAE significantly attenuated NO• production in RAW264.7 cells and also markedly suppressed the expression of iNOS and other proinflammatory mediators, including COX-2 and IL-6, which were upregulated in the presence of LPS. SAE inhibited the phosphorylation of p65, an observation that occurred independently of IKKαβ-mediated IκBα phosphorylation. Collectively, our results demonstrate that SAE suppressed NO•-mediated inflammation by inhibiting p65 transcriptional activation without affecting IKKαβ-mediated IκBα phosphorylation. Further studies are warranted to examine the major compounds responsible for these effects and the mechanisms responsible for the p65 phosphorylation observed.
In Dangjin, Chungcheongnam-do, there are not only power plants and large steel complexes, but also small and medium-sized air pollutant emission facilities. The dust generated by these facilities has ...a very small particle size and a large surface area due to condensation and physical and chemical reactions, and is discharged containing various harmful substances. Therefore, this study analyzed the distribution of particulate matter and heavy metal concentrations by particle size in the vicinity of the steel complex, residential area, and reference point using an eight-stage Cascade Impactor. Overall, the direct impact sites with a short distance from the steel complex had the highest concentration, followed by the indirect impact sites, and the non-impact sites had the lowest concentration, indicating that they are directly affected by the steel complex. The atmospheric dust concentration distribution showed a bimodal distribution with a minimum value around the 1.1 to 2.1 ㎛ particle diameter. However, during the yellow dust event, the maximum concentration was biased toward coarse particles. The proportion of PM2.5 in the dust tended to be higher in winter, while the ratio between PM2.5 and PM10 was relatively higher in spring. Regardless of the location of the impact point, heavy metals in the dust were dominated by iron and aluminum, followed by zinc, lead, and manganese.
Abstract Introduction The cognitive and behavioral effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) administered to the deep cerebral nuclei for epilepsy treatment is unknown. We investigated the cognitive ...outcomes at least 12 months after DBS to the bilateral anterior thalamic nucleus (ATN) for controlling intractable epilepsy. Methods Nine patients with intractable epilepsy who were not candidates for resective surgery, but who were treated by bilateral ATN DBS underwent cognitive and behavioral assessments before implantation and more than 1 year after DBS surgery. Postoperative cognitive assessments were carried out under a continuous stimulation mode. Results The mean seizure-reduction rate of these patients after ATN DBS was 57.9% (35.6–90.4%). Cognitive testing showed favorable results for verbal fluency tasks (letter and category, p < 0.05), and a significant improvement in delayed verbal memory was observed ( p = 0.017). However, we did not observe any significant changes in general abilities (IQ, MMSE), information processing (digit forward and backward, Trail A, and Digit Symbol), or executive function (Trail B and WCST). Interestingly, we did not observe any significant cognitive decline approximately 1 year (mean, 15.9 months) after ATN DBS surgery. Conclusions We showed that ATN DBS not only resulted in promising clinical effects but was also associated with improvements in both verbal recall and oral information processing, which may be related to the bilateral activation of the fronto-limbic circuit following DBS surgery. Further controlled, long-term studies with larger populations are warranted for elucidating the clinical effects of ATN DBS.
Experimental data and case reports of patients with intractable epilepsy treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) suggest a considerable anticonvulsant effect. ...However, no satisfactory mechanisms of action have yet been elucidated. We investigated the putative therapeutic mechanisms of DBS from cerebral perfusion changes as measured by subtracting the SPECT image of the pre-DBS period from that of the chronic post-DBS state.
Two patients who had previous resective surgery on their right frontal cortices with or without anterior callosotomy were selected for DBS of the STN. Both of them showed frequent bilateral asymmetric tonic seizures (left > right) with rare drop attacks, and 1 patient's seizure frequency was more than 15/month during the pre-DBS period. They had both taken more than four antiepileptic agents for more than 10 years. After video-EEG monitoring, the irritative zones of the brain were delineated. The regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) changes between the two SPECT images (pre-DBS and post-DBS after at least 6 months) were analyzed by SPECT subtraction with the volumetric MRI coregistration method using Analyze 5.0 software.
After chronic STN DBS (18 months, case 1; 6 months, case 2), both patients experienced markedly reduced seizure frequencies (86.7% reduction in patient 1, 88.6% in patient 2). In patient 1, the increased rCBF was observed in the right frontal areas (dorsolateral and inferior frontal area), which corresponded to the irritative zones as confirmed by previous EEG recording. Unexpectedly, there was definite hyperperfusion in the right superior and inferior temporal areas as well as rCBF increase in the right superior frontal area (SMA) in patient 2.
We demonstrated that the cerebral perfusion increase in the irritative zones of epilepsy patients is associated with favorable seizure reduction after STN DBS in 2 cases of frontal lobe epilepsy. Although the exact mechanism remains unknown, our findings suggest that the perfusion changes after STN DBS in frontal lobe epilepsy patients are quite different from those in subjects with Parkinson's disease. Our preliminary data suggest the clinical relevance of subtraction SPECT imaging in assessing the postprocedural outcome as well as the characteristics of SPECT perfusion patterns in other epilepsy syndromes.
Phosphorylation of the histone variant H2AX forms γ-H2AX that marks DNA double-strand break (DSB). Here, we generated the sequencing-based maps of H2AX and γ-H2AX positioning in resting and ...proliferating cells before and after ionizing irradiation. Genome-wide locations of possible endogenous and exogenous DSBs were identified based on γ-H2AX distribution in dividing cancer cells without irradiation and that in resting cells upon irradiation, respectively. γ-H2AX-enriched regions of endogenous origin in replicating cells included sub-telomeres and active transcription start sites, apparently reflecting replication- and transcription-mediated stress during rapid cell division. Surprisingly, H2AX itself, prior to phosphorylation, was specifically located at these endogenous hotspots. This phenomenon was only observed in dividing cancer cells but not in resting cells. Endogenous H2AX was concentrated on the transcription start site of actively transcribed genes but was irrelevant to pausing of RNA polymerase II (pol II), which precisely coincided with γ-H2AX of endogenous origin. γ-H2AX enrichment upon irradiation also coincided with actively transcribed regions, but unlike endogenous γ-H2AX, it extended into the gene body and was not specifically concentrated on the pausing site of pol II. Sub-telomeres were less responsive to external DNA damage than to endogenous stress. Our findings provide insight into DNA repair programs of cancer and may have implications for cancer therapy.
In Vitro Effects of Water and Methanol Extracts of Melittia inouei on Cytokine Production Ahn, M.Y. (National Institute of Agricultural Science and Technology, RDA, Suwon, Republic of Korea), E-mail: amy@rda.go.kr; Lee, H.N. (Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea); Shon, H.J. (Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea) ...
Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy,
(Jun 2006), Letnik:
37, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Melittia inouei (Yuri Nabang) larvae are used as a crude drug in East Asia treating stomach cancer and inflmation, and currently reared as a pharmaceutical insect in Jejudo, Korea. This study ...evaluated the immuno-modulating activity of these extracts,by determining the level of, cytokine production from mouse splenocytes stimulated with the extracts. The Melittia inouei larvae extracts did not induce the splenocyte proliferation. On the other hand, they stimulated the splenocytes to produce cytokines such as TNF-α
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