BACKGROUNDAfter the global epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), lifestyle changes to curb the spread of COVID-19 (e.g., wearing a mask, hand washing, and social distancing) have also ...affected the outbreak of other infectious diseases. However, few studies have been conducted on whether the incidence of gastrointestinal infections has changed over the past year with COVID-19. In this study, we examined how the incidence of gastrointestinal infections has changed since COVID-19 outbreak through open data. METHODSWe summarized the data on the several viruses and bacteria that cause gastrointestinal infections from the open data of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for 3 years from March 2018 to February 2021 (from Spring 2018 to Winter 2020). Moreover, we confirmed three most common legal gastrointestinal infectious pathogens from March 2016. RESULTSFrom March 2020, when the COVID-19 epidemic was in full swing and social distancing and personal hygiene management were heavily emphasized, the incidence of infection from each virus was drastically decreased. The reduction rates compared to the averages of the last 2 years were as follows: total viruses 31.9%, norovirus 40.2%, group A rotavirus 31.8%, enteric adenovirus 13.4%, astrovirus 7.0%, and sapovirus 12.2%. Among bacterial pathogens, the infection rates of Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens did not decrease but rather increased in some periods when compared to the average of the last two years. The incidence of nontyphoidal Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus, or enteropathogenic Escherichia coli somewhat decreased but not significantly compared to the previous two years. CONCLUSIONThe incidence of infection from gastrointestinal viruses, which are mainly caused by the fecal-to-oral route and require direct contact among people, was significantly reduced, whereas the incidence of bacterial pathogens, which have food-mediated transmission as the main cause of infection, did not decrease significantly.
Background
There have been considerable disagreements regarding the therapeutic effects of probiotics in atopic dermatitis (AD). We performed this study to examine whether the oral administration of ...Lactobacillus plantarum CJLP133 improves pediatric AD.
Methods
In a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study, either L. plantarum CJLP133 at a dosage of 0.5 × 1010 colony‐forming units or placebo in children aged 12 months to 13 yr was given twice a day for 12 wk. SCOring of Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) scores, eosinophil counts, serum total IgE, and cytokines were evaluated.
Results
Forty‐four of 58 patients in the probiotic group and 39 of 60 patients in the placebo group completed the study. The SCORAD score at week 14 was lower in the probiotic group than in the placebo group (p = 0.044). The mean change in the SCORAD score from weeks 2 to 14 was 9.1 in the probiotic group, which was greater than the mean change of 1.8 in the placebo group (p = 0.004). No statistical differences in the total use of topical corticosteroids were found between two groups (p = 0.815). In the probiotic group, the total eosinophil count was significantly lower at the end of the intervention compared to the baseline measurements (p = 0.023). Logarithmic IFN‐γ and IL‐4 were significantly decreased by the end of the intervention compared to baseline measurements in the probiotic group (p < 0.001 and 0.049).
Conclusions
Our results suggest that supplementation with probiotic L. plantarum CJLP133 is beneficial in the treatment of pediatric AD.
Hybridization of reported weakly active antiproliferative hit 5-amino-4-pyrimidinol derivative with 2-anilino-4-phenoxypyrimidines suggests a series of 2,5-diamino-4-pyrimidinol derivatives as ...potential antiproliferative agents. Few compounds belonging to the proposed series were reported as CSF1R/DAPK1 inhibitors as anti-tauopathies. However, the correlation between CSF1R/DAPK1 signalling pathways and cancer progression provides motives to reprofile them against cancer therapy. The compounds were synthesised, characterized, and evaluated against M-NFS-60 cells and a kinase panel which bolstered predictions of their antiproliferative activity and suggested the involvement of diverse molecular targets. Compound 6e, the most potent in the series, showed prominent broad-spectrum antiproliferative activity inhibiting the growth of hematological, NSCLC, colon, CNS, melanoma, ovarian, renal, prostate and breast cancers by 84.1, 52.79, 72.15, 66.34, 66.48, 51.55, 55.95, 61.85, and 60.87%, respectively. Additionally, it elicited an IC
50
value of 1.97 µM against M-NFS-60 cells and good GIT absorption with P
e
value of 19.0 ± 1.1 × 10
−6
cm/s (PAMPA-GIT). Molecular docking study for 6e with CSF1R and DAPK1 was done to help to understand the binding mode with both kinases. Collectively, compound 6e could be a potential lead compound for further development of anticancer therapies.
Purpose
Mercury (Hg) is a nonessential and toxic metal that is widely distributed in the environment. This study was performed to estimate the representative blood Hg level, to determine the ...contributing factors to Hg exposure, and to analyze the association of blood Hg with metabolic syndrome in Korean adults.
Methods
Mercury exposure is assessed by total Hg concentration in blood. A total of 2,114 healthy adults who have not been exposed to Hg occupationally were sampled by the multistaged, sex-, and age-stratified probability method. Information was collected regarding the subjects’ demographic characteristics, lifestyles, and past medical history. The participants then underwent physical examination and blood sampling.
Results
The geometric mean concentration of Hg in whole blood was 3.90 μg/L, which was significantly influenced by sex, age, smoking, alcoholic consumption, residence area, and seafood intake after adjustment for confounders. Significant increases in body mass index, waist circumference, diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and triglyceride were observed according to the blood Hg levels after adjustment for covariates. Also, Hg exposure was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome and their components such as obesity and increased fasting glucose.
Conclusion
The blood Hg level in Korean adults is higher than that in USA and other Western countries, while it is similar to or lower than that in other Asian countries. The blood Hg level is influenced by sociodemographic factors and individual lifestyles including dietary habits. Furthermore, blood Hg is associated with metabolic syndrome, in which Hg exposure may play a role as a possible risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
Three new lanostante-type triterpene aldehydes, named lucialdehydes A—C (1—3), were isolated from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma lucidum, together with ganodermanonol (4), ganodermadiol (5), ...ganodermanondiol (6), ganodermanontriol (7), ganoderic acid A (8), ganoderic acid B8 (9), and ganoderic acid C1 (10). The structures of the new triterpenes were determined as (24E)-3β-hydroxy-5α-lanosta-7,9(11),24-trien-26-al (1), (24E)-3,7-dioxo-5α-lanosta-8,24-dien-26-al (2), and (24E)-3β-hydroxy-7-oxo-5α-lanosta-8,24-dien-26-al (3), respectively, by spectroscopic means. The cytotoxicity of the compounds isolated from the ganoderma mushroom was tested in vitro against Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC), T-47D, Sarcoma 180, and Meth-A tumor cell lines. Lucialdehydes B, C (2, 3), ganodermanonol (4) and ganodermanondiol (6) showed cytotoxic effects on tested tumor cells. Of the compounds, lucialdehyde C (3) exhibited the most potent cytotoxicity against LLC, T-47D, Sarcoma 180, and Meth-A tumor cells with ED50 values of 10.7, 4.7, 7.1, and 3.8 μg/ml, respectively.
In this study, two daphnane diterpene esters isolated from the flower buds of
Daphne genkwa, genkwadaphnin (
1) and yuanhuacine (
2), were assessed with regard to their apoptotic activity in human ...promyelocytic HL-60 cells. Both
1 and
2 were demonstrated to activate the apoptotic process, including DNA fragmentation, chromatin condensation, and sub-G
1 hypodiploidy. In our immunoblotting analysis, treatment with compounds
1 and
2 resulted in the cleavage of procaspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) into active forms, and the expression of Bcl-2 proteins was shifted toward apoptosis; the expression of the pro-apoptotic protein, Bax, was increased, and the expression of Bcl-2 and Bcl-X
L, both anti-apoptotic proteins, were suppressed in a dose-dependent manner. The administration (ip) of the compounds to Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC)-inoculated mice evidenced a significant inhibition of tumor growth (volume), with reductions of 47.9% and 63.1% (
1), and 24.2% and 45.8% (
2) at concentrations of 0.1
mg/kg and 0.5
mg/kg, as compared with the control mice. These results indicate that compounds
1 and
2 are potent apoptotic constituents of
Daphne genkwa, and might be potent as anti-tumoric agents.
Phytolacca americana L. is traditionally used in Korea, Japan, and China as a diuretic, antibacterial, antiviral, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory agent, and also in the treatment of hepatitis B, ...psoriasis, edema, and rheumatism. In this study, we evaluated the subchronic toxicity of an aqueous extract of P. americana (PAAE) in male and female F344 rats. The rats were orally administered PAAE (0, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg body weight) once daily for 13 weeks. Mortality rate, body weight, food consumption, and organ weights were measured and assessed. Additionally, ophthalmological, hematological, and histopathological parameters were evaluated. Urinalysis and necropsy were also performed. The clinical chemistry values for potassium in the treated female groups (500, 1000, and 2000 mg/kg/ body weight/day) were higher than those in the control. Further, the relative weights of the kidneys in the treated female groups (1000 and 2000 mg/kg/ body weight/day) were higher than those in the control. However, these changes were not consistent in either sex, and no abnormalities were found in the corresponding pathological findings. Thus the results showed no adverse effects in all the parameters assessed. The findings show that after 13 weeks of treatment, the “no-observed-adverse-effect level” of PAAE is 2000 mg/kg body weight in both male and female F344 rats under the experimental conditions applied. Although treatment-related adverse effects were not seen, potassium-level changes in the blood should be examined to establish the safety profile of PAAE after long-term treatment.
Although surgery is recommended for pediatric patients with supracristal ventricular septal defects (sVSDs) to prevent progression of aortic regurgitation (AR), outcomes in adolescents and adults ...with sVSDs are not known.
In this retrospective observational study, clinical data without surgery were obtained in 60 patients with sVSDs (group 1; mean age, 36 ± 13 years), 120 age- and defect size-matched patients with perimembranous ventricular septal defects (group 2), and 52 patients with sVSDs who underwent surgery (group 3; mean age, 32 ± 11 years).
Aortic sinus wall prolapse (38% vs 3%, P < .0001) and moderate to severe AR (7% vs 0%, P = .012) were more frequently observed in group 1 than in group 2. Five, three, and two patients in group 1 had surgery during follow-up because of rupture of the aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva, endocarditis, and heart failure, respectively. Group 1 had a lower 12-year clinical event-free (surgery and endocarditis) rate (76 ± 9% vs 94 ± 4%, P = .031) but an equivalent overall survival rate (100% vs 94 ± 3%, P = .143) compared with group 2. Patients with maximal prolapsing aortic sinus wall length > 7 mm showed a higher frequency of aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva rupture than those with no prolapse or maximal prolapsing length ≤ 7 mm (80% four of five vs 2% one of 55, P < .001). The event-free and overall survival rates were comparable between groups 1 and 3, with equivalent 10-year AR progression-free survival rates (94 ± 5% vs 91 ± 5%, P = .301).
Aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva rupture, rather than AR progression, was the main clinical event. Watchful monitoring of patients with high-risk echocardiographic features may be a rational option.
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