This study aimed to compare and evaluate the efficacy of the blood pressure (BP) control and cholesterol‐lowering effects and safety of combination therapy with telmisartan, rosuvastatin, and ...ezetimibe versus rosuvastatin and ezetimibe double therapy or telmisartan single therapy in dyslipidemia patients with hypertension. After a wash‐out/therapeutic lifestyle change period of ≥4 weeks, a total of 100 eligible patients were randomized and received one of three treatments for 8 weeks: (1) telmisartan 80 mg/rosuvastatin 20 mg/ezetimibe 10 mg (TRE), (2) rosuvastatin 20 mg/ezetimibe 10 mg (RE), or (3) telmisartan 80 mg (T). The primary endpoint was the efficacy evaluation of TRE by comparing changes in mean sitting systolic blood pressure (msSBP) and mean percentage change in low‐density lipoprotein‐C (LDL‐C) from baseline after 8 weeks of treatment.
The least square (LS) mean (SE) changes in msSBP at 8 weeks compared with baseline were −23.02 (3.04) versus −7.18 (3.09) mmHg in the TRE and RE groups, respectively (p < .0001), and −25.80 (2.74) versus −14.92 (2.65) mmHg in the TRE and T groups, respectively (p = .0005). The percentage changes in the mean (SD) LDL‐C at 8 weeks compared with baseline were −54.97% (3.49%) versus −0.17% (3.23%) in the TRE and T groups, respectively (p < .0001). No serious adverse events occurred, and no statistically significant differences in the incidence of overall AEs and adverse drug reactions occurred among the three groups.
TRE therapy significantly decreased msSBP and LDL‐C compared to RE or T therapy with comparable safety and tolerability profiles.
To evaluate the seizure characteristics and outcome after immunotherapy in adult patients with autoimmune encephalitis (AE) and new-onset seizure.
Adult (age ≥18 years) patients with AE and new-onset ...seizure who underwent immunotherapy and were followed-up for at least 6 months were included. Seizure frequency was evaluated at 2-4 weeks and 6 months after the onset of the initial immunotherapy and was categorized as "seizure remission", "> 50% seizure reduction", or "no change" based on the degree of its decrease.
Forty-one AE patients who presented with new-onset seizure were analysed. At 2-4 weeks after the initial immunotherapy, 51.2% of the patients were seizure free, and 24.4% had significant seizure reduction. At 6 months, seizure remission was observed in 73.2% of the patients, although four patients died during hospitalization. Rituximab was used as a second-line immunotherapy in 12 patients who continued to have seizures despite the initial immunotherapy, and additional seizure remission was achieved in 66.6% of them. In particular, those who exhibited partial response to the initial immunotherapy had a better seizure outcome after rituximab, with low adverse events.
AE frequently presented as seizure, but only 18.9% of the living patients suffered from seizure at 6 months after immunotherapy. Aggressive immunotherapy can improve seizure outcome in patients with AE.
The effect of the clinical phenotype of
complex (MAC) lung disease on treatment outcome and redevelopment of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease after treatment completion has not been ...studied systematically.We evaluated 481 treatment-naïve patients with MAC lung disease who underwent antibiotic treatment for ≥12 months between January 2002 and December 2013.Out of 481 patients, 278 (58%) had noncavitary nodular bronchiectatic (NB) disease, 80 (17%) had cavitary NB disease and 123 (25%) had fibrocavitary disease. Favourable outcome was higher in patients with noncavitary disease (88%) than in patients with cavitary disease (76% for fibrocavitary and 78% for cavitary NB disease; p<0.05). Cavitary disease was independently associated with unfavourable outcomes (p<0.05). Out of 402 patients with favourable outcomes, 118 (29%) experienced redevelopment of NTM lung disease, with the same MAC species recurring in 65 (55%) patients. The NB form was an independent risk factor for redevelopment of NTM lung disease (p<0.05). In patients with recurrent MAC lung disease due to the same species, bacterial genotyping revealed that 74% of cases were attributable to reinfection and 26% to relapse.Treatment outcomes and redevelopment of NTM lung disease after treatment completion differed by clinical phenotype of MAC lung disease.
Background Mycobacterium avium and Mycobacterium intracellulare are grouped together as the M avium complex; however, little is known about the clinical impact of this species differentiation. This ...study compared the clinical features and prognoses of patients with M avium and M intracellulare lung disease. Methods From 2000 to 2009, 590 patients were given a new diagnosis of M avium complex lung disease; 323 (55%) had M avium lung disease, and 267 (45%) had M intracellulare lung disease. Results Compared with the patients with M avium lung disease, the patients with M intracellulare lung disease were more likely to have the following characteristics: older age (64 vs 59 years, P = .002), a lower BMI (19.5 kg/m2 vs 20.6 kg/m2 , P < .001), respiratory symptoms such as cough (84% vs 74%, P = .005), a history of previous treatment for TB (51% vs 31%, P < .001), the fibrocavitary form of the disease (26% vs 13%, P < .001), smear-positive sputum (56% vs 38%, P < .001), antibiotic therapy during the 24 months of follow-up (58% vs 42%, P < .001), and an unfavorable microbiologic response after combination antibiotic treatment (56% vs 74%, P = .001). Conclusions Patients with M intracellulare lung disease exhibited a more severe presentation and had a worse prognosis than patients with M avium lung disease in terms of disease progression and treatment response. Therefore, species differentiation between M avium and M intracellulare may have prognostic and therapeutic implications.
The prevalence and incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections increased in South Korea from 2007 to 2016. Annual prevalence of NTM infection increased to 39.6 cases/100,000 population ...in 2016 and annual incidence to 19.0 cases/100,000 population. Overall prevalence for the study period was higher in the elderly, in females, and in cities.
This study presents the 2016 nationwide cancer statistics in Korea, including cancer incidence, survival, prevalence, and mortality.
Cancer incidence data from 1999 to 2016 were obtained from the ...Korea National Cancer Incidence Database and followed until December 31, 2017. Mortality data from 1983 to 2016 were obtained from Statistics Korea. The prevalence was defined as the number of cancer patients alive on January 1, 2017 among all cancer patients diagnosed since 1999. Crude and age-standardized rates (ASRs) for incidence, mortality, and prevalence and 5-year relative survivals were also calculated.
Overall, 229,180 and 78,194 Koreans were newly diagnosed and died from cancer in 2016, respectively. The ASRs for cancer incidence and mortality in 2016 were 269.0 and 79.8 per 100,000 individuals, respectively. The all-cancer incidence rate increased significantly by 3.6% annually from 1999 to 2011 and started to decrease after 2011 (2011-2016; annual percent change, -3.1%). However, overall cancer mortality has decreased 2.7% annually since 2002. The 5-year relative survival rate for patients diagnosed with cancer between 2012 and 2016 was 70.6%, an improvement from the 41.2% for patients diagnosed between 1993 and 1995.
The cancer prevalence in Korea has increased very fast as survival has improved remarkably. The high prevalence of cancer emphasizes the need for comprehensive cancer control efforts in Korea.
Metabolomics refers to the technology for the comprehensive analysis of metabolites and low-molecular-weight compounds in a biological system, such as cells or tissues. Metabolites play an important ...role in biological phenomena through their direct involvement in the regulation of physiological mechanisms, such as maintaining cell homeostasis or signal transmission through protein–protein interactions. The current review aims provide a framework for how the integrated analysis of metabolites, their functional actions and inherent biological information can be used to understand biological phenomena related to the regulation of metabolites and how this information can be applied to safety assessments of crops created using biotechnology. Advancement in technology and analytical instrumentation have led new ways to examine the convergence between biology and chemistry, which has yielded a deeper understanding of complex biological phenomena. Metabolomics can be utilized and applied to safety assessments of biotechnology products through a systematic approach using metabolite-level data processing algorithms, statistical techniques, and database development. The integration of metabolomics data with sequencing data is a key step towards improving additional phenotypical evidence to elucidate the degree of environmental affects for variants found in genome associated with metabolic processes. Moreover, information analysis technology such as big data, machine learning, and IT investment must be introduced to establish a system for data extraction, selection, and metabolomic data analysis for the interpretation of biological implications of biotechnology innovations. This review outlines the integrity of metabolomics assessments in determining the consequences of genetic engineering and biotechnology in plants.
The widespread overuse of antibiotics has led to the serious risks human life and environmental sustainability. Even though porous carbon composite derived from metal-organic framework (MOF) has been ...recognized as an efficient adsorbent for sequestering antibiotics owing to its unique properties, the major drawback is the use of the expensive material, such as terephthalic acid (H2BDC), as an organic ligand, thus weakening its cost effectiveness and practical applicability. Herein, we successfully recovered H2BDC from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste bottles via ultrasound-assisted, phase-transfer-catalyzed alkaline hydrolysis under mild conditions. The process conditions were statistically optimized by applying response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box-Behnken design. As results, 99.91–100% H2BDC recovery was achieved under the following optimized conditions: NaOH concentration = 14.5%; temperature = 83.2 °C; and time = 1.5 h. High-purity H2BDC was used as an organic ligand in the synthesis of magnetic porous carbon (α-Fe/Fe3C) composite derived from iron-based MOF, and its utilization as an adsorbent for the removal of TCH from aqueous solution was investigated. The as-prepared α-Fe/Fe3C composite comprised α-Fe, Fe3C, and graphitic carbon and exhibited mesoporous structure and superparamagnetic behavior, resulting in an effective adsorption performance and magnetic separation. Its adsorption properties were examined in terms of solution pH, contact time, initial TCH concentration, and temperature. Adsorption kinetics and isotherm data were well-suited to the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models, respectively. Considering its excellent reusability and magnetic separability, the α-Fe/Fe3C composite showed immense potential for antibiotic-contaminated wastewater remediation.
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•Depolymerization of PET waste bottles was investigated to recover H2BDC.•The optimized ultrasound-assisted alkaline hydrolysis enabled 100% H2BDC recovery.•PET-derived H2BDC was used as organic ligand to synthesize α-Fe/Fe3C composite.•Maximum adsorption capacity of α-Fe/Fe3C composite for TCH was 671.14 mg/g.•Mechanism involves π-π EDA, cation-π bonding, hydrogen bonding, and pore-filling.
Objective
To compare the outcome after extensive lateral guided bone regeneration using deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) with or without autogenous bone chips in a canine model of chronic ...horizontal alveolar ridge defect.
Materials and Methods
The second, third and fourth lower premolars of both sides were extracted, and the buccal bone walls were completely removed in five beagle dogs. After 4 weeks, DBBM particles mixed with autogenous bone chips at a ratio of 1:1 were grafted at one side (DBBM/Auto group), while DBBM particles alone were grafted at the contralateral side (DBBM group). The graft materials on both sides were covered by a resorbable collagen membrane and fixation pins. Microcomputed tomographic volume and histomorphometric analyses were performed at 16 weeks post‐surgery.
Results
The ridges of both groups were recovered horizontally, but new bone formation beyond the original ridge contour at the defect site was not found. The DBBM group exhibited a larger total radiographic augmented volume and new bone volume compared with the DBBM/Auto group, but the differences were minimal (p > .05). Histologically, the regenerated area and new bone area were also slightly larger without any statistical significance in the DBBM group than in the DBBM/Auto group (p > .05).
Conclusion
The addition of autogenous bone chips to DBBM for lateral ridge augmentation may confer no advantage over grafting DBBM alone with respect to both space maintenance and de novo bone formation in dogs.
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