Environmental risk score of multiple pollutants for kidney damage among residents in vulnerable areas by occupational chemical exposure in Korea.

This study aimed to develop an environmental risk score (ERS) of multiple pollutants (MP) causing kidney damage (KD) in Korean residents near abandoned metal mines or smelters and evaluate the association between ERS and KD by a history of occupational chemical exposure (OCE). Exposure to MP, consisting of nine metals, four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and four volatile organic compounds, was measured as urinary metabolites. The study participants were recruited from the Forensic Research via Omics Markers (FROM) study (n = 256). Beta-2-microglobulin (ß2-MG), N-acetyl-ß-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were used as biomarkers of KD. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) was selected as the optimal ERS model with the best performance and stability of the predicted effect size among the elastic net, adaptive elastic net, weighted quantile sum regression, BKMR, Bayesian additive regression tree, and super learner model. Variable importance was estimated to evaluate the effects of metabolites on KD. When stratified with the history of OCE after adjusting for several confounding factors, the risks for KD were higher in the OCE group than those in the non-OCE group; the odds ratio (OR; 95% CI) for ERS in non-OCE and OCE groups were 2.97 (2.19, 4.02) and 6.43 (2.85, 14.5) for ß2-MG, 1.37 (1.01, 1.86) and 4.16 (1.85, 9.39) for NAG, and 4.57 (3.37, 6.19) and 6.44 (2.85, 14.5) for eGFR, respectively. We found that the ERS stratified history of OCE was the most suitable for evaluating the association between MP and KD, and the risks were higher in the OCE group than those in the non-OCE group.

Tuberculosis and Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections in Patients with Spondyloarthritis: A Population-Based Study.

Background and Objectives: Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), while nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) encompass a group of mycobacterial species that are distinct from the MTB complex and leprae. Spondyloarthritis (SpA) is a group of chronic inflammatory diseases with shared clinical characteristics and is treated with biological agents; however, their use may elevate the risk of MTB and NTM infections. This study aimed to compare the incidence and risk of MTB and NTM infections in patients with SpA, including ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA), using a population-based approach. Materials and Methods: This study included 2333 patients with SpA and 9332 age- and sex-matched controls from the Korea National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database from 2002 to 2019. The patients were identified using the International Classification of Diseases-10 codes for AS, PsA, MTB, and NTM. Results: The results showed that a negligible percentage of patients with SpA developed NTM (0.002%) and MTB (0.016%), with no significant difference in the incidence rate ratio (IRR) compared to controls. Among patients with SpA treated with biologics, the IRRs for NTM and MTB were 5.66 and 3.069, respectively; however, these were not statistically significant. No cases of NTM or MTB infection were reported in female patients with SpA treated with biologics. In both the SpA patient group and the control group, the incidence of MTB was higher in individuals over 60 years old compared to those under 60 years old. Cox proportional hazard analysis revealed a significant adjusted hazard ratio of 1.479 for MTB in patients with SpA after adjusting for age, sex, smoking history, insurance level, and comorbidities. However, this significance was not maintained when biological therapy was further adjusted. Conclusions: Our study indicated that the risks of NTM and MTB infection are not elevated in patients with SpA. Although biological use may potentially increase the risk of MTB infection, it does not lead to a significant increase in incidence rates. Proactive screening for latent tuberculosis and adequate prophylaxis using biologics can effectively manage the risk of NTM and MTB infections.

Cancer risks in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and the effects of biologic agents: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: To conduct a population-based analysis of the malignancy risks of patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). METHODS: A total of 1,796 patients with AS and 7,184 age- and sex-matched controls (1:4 ratio) were selected from the Korea National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database. Data of patients diagnosed with AS (code M45) according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 10th edition, between 2002 and 2019, were reviewed. These data were extracted based on the ICD codes assigned to cancer patients. RESULTS: Cancer developed in 168/1,796 patients (9.3%) after the AS diagnosis. After adjusting for confounders, the cancer risk of patients with AS was not significantly increased compared with that of controls (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.93-1.31). However, the risks for upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancer (adjusted HR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.07-2.12) and haematologic malignancy (adjusted HR: 2.36; 95% CI: 1.2-4.65) were significantly higher in patients with AS than in controls. There were no significant differences in the risks for other major cancers between patients with AS and controls. Regarding medication for AS, the HR of upper GI cancer was higher in patients with AS compared with controls (adjusted HR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.00-2.29). CONCLUSION: The overall cancer risks in patients with AS were not significantly different compared with the controls. However, while the effect of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs on upper GI cancer cannot be ruled out, patients with AS exhibited a significant increase in the risk of both upper GI cancer and hematologic malignancy.

Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy of Korean registered disabled by disability type in 2014-2018: Korea National Rehabilitation Center database.

BACKGROUND: Conducting a distinct comparison between the life expectancy (LE) and healthy life expectancy (HALE) of people with disabilities (PWDs) and the general population is necessary due to the various environmental and health conditions they encounter. Therefore, this study aimed to develop the life table for PWDs and calculate those of LE and HALE based on sex, severity, and disability types among the registered Korean PWDs. METHODS: We used aggregated data of registered PWDs from the Korea National Rehabilitation Center database between 2014 and 2018. Overall, 345,595 deaths were included among 12,627,428 registered PWDs. First, we calculated the LE for total PWDs and non-disabled people using a standard life table, extending the old age mortality among nine models. Subsequently, we calculated the LE for each type of disability using the relationship between the mortality of total PWDs and those of each type of disability. Finally, HALE was calculated using the Sullivan method for three types as follows: disability-free and perceived health (PH) using the National Survey, and hospitalized for ≥ 7 days using the Korea National Health Insurance System (NHIS) database. RESULTS: The calculated LE/HALE-NHIS (years) at registration in males and females were 81.32/73.32 and 87.38/75.58, 68.54/58.98 and 71.43/59.24, 73.87/65.43 and 78.25/67.51, and 61.53/50.48 and 62.41/49.72 years among non-disabled, total PWDs, mild disabled, and severe disabled, respectively. LE/HALE-NHIS was lowest and highest in respiratory dysfunction and hearing disabilities, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Males with disabilities had shorter LE and HALE at registration than females, except for those with severe disabilities, and there were variabilities in the LE based on the disability types.

Knockdown of PagSAP11 Confers Drought Resistance and Promotes Lateral Shoot Growth in Hybrid Poplar (Populus alba × Populus tremula var. glandulosa).

Plants have evolved defense mechanisms to overcome unfavorable climatic conditions. The growth and development of plants are regulated in response to environmental stress. In this study, we investigated the molecular and physiological characteristics of a novel gene PagSAP11 in hybrid poplar (Populus alba × Populus tremula var. glandulosa) under drought stress. PagSAP11, a stress-associated protein (SAP) family gene, encodes a putative protein containing an A20 and AN1 zinc-finger domain at its N- and C-termini, respectively. Knockdown of PagSAP11 transgenic poplars (SAP11-Ri) enhanced their tolerance to drought stress compared with wild type plants. Moreover, the RNAi lines showed increased branching of lateral shoots that led to a gain in fresh weight, even when grown in the living modified organism (LMO) field. In SAP11-Ri transgenic plants, the expression levels of genes involved in axillary bud outgrowth and cell proliferation such as DML10, CYP707A and RAX were increased while the DRM gene which involved in bud dormancy was down-regulated. Taken together, these results indicate that PagSAP11 represents a promising candidate gene for engineering trees with improved stress tolerance and growth during unfavorable conditions.

CRISPR-Knockout of CSE Gene Improves Saccharification Efficiency by Reducing Lignin Content in Hybrid Poplar.

Caffeoyl shikimate esterase (CSE) has been shown to play an important role in lignin biosynthesis in plants and is, therefore, a promising target for generating improved lignocellulosic biomass crops for sustainable biofuel production. Populus spp. has two CSE genes (CSE1 and CSE2) and, thus, the hybrid poplar (Populus alba × P. glandulosa) investigated in this study has four CSE genes. Here, we present transgenic hybrid poplars with knockouts of each CSE gene achieved by CRISPR/Cas9. To knockout the CSE genes of the hybrid poplar, we designed three single guide RNAs (sg1-sg3), and produced three different transgenic poplars with either CSE1 (CSE1-sg2), CSE2 (CSE2-sg3), or both genes (CSE1/2-sg1) mutated. CSE1-sg2 and CSE2-sg3 poplars showed up to 29.1% reduction in lignin deposition with irregularly shaped xylem vessels. However, CSE1-sg2 and CSE2-sg3 poplars were morphologically indistinguishable from WT and showed no significant differences in growth in a long-term living modified organism (LMO) field-test covering four seasons. Gene expression analysis revealed that many lignin biosynthetic genes were downregulated in CSE1-sg2 and CSE2-sg3 poplars. Indeed, the CSE1-sg2 and CSE2-sg3 poplars had up to 25% higher saccharification efficiency than the WT control. Our results demonstrate that precise editing of CSE by CRISPR/Cas9 technology can improve lignocellulosic biomass without a growth penalty.

Quantitative and Qualitative Differences of Action Verbal Fluency between Young and Older Adults.

INTRODUCTION: Action verbal fluency (AVF) task, a word fluency test, involves language and executive function and is known to be sensitive to fronto-striatal degeneration. However, the ability may also decrease qualitatively as well as quantitatively in normal aging. The objective of this study is to investigate the age-related quantitative and qualitative differences in AVF of Korean adults. METHODS: We analyzed data from 78 participants of 40 young (mean age = 28.9) and 38 older adults (mean age = 67.7). The correct responses in the AVF task were measured for quantitative analysis. Qualitatively, the mean number of arguments required by each verb was calculated for syntactic analysis. For semantic analysis, we subclassified verbs according to their characteristics (e.g., moment vs. non-moment verbs/active vs. non-active verbs) and calculated the ratio for comparison. The results of AVF were also compared to those of semantic/phonemic fluency and the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K). RESULTS: The older group showed quantitatively lower performance in AVF than the young group (p < 0.01). The result of the AVF task significantly correlated (p < 0.01) with both semantic/phonemic fluency and the MoCA-K. Also, the older group produced syntactically more simple verbs than the counterpart (p < 0.01). In the semantic analysis, the older group produced fewer moment verbs (p < 0.05) but more non-moment verbs (p < 0.05) than the young group. There was no difference in active or non-active verbs between two groups. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that the ability of AVF declines with age not only quantitatively but also qualitatively in relation to their cognitive changes.

Evaluation of aromatic hydrocarbon decomposition catalyzed by the dioxygenase system and substitution of ferredoxin and ferredoxin reductase.

In this study, the catalytic activity and kinetic characteristics of the aromatic hydrocarbon dioxygenase system and the possibility of substituting its ferredoxin and ferredoxin reductase components were evaluated. The genes encoding toluene dioxygenase and toluene dihydrodiol dehydrogenase were cloned from Pseudomonas putida F1, and the corresponding enzymes were overexpressed and purified to homogeneity. Oxidative hydroxylation of toluene to cis-toluene dihydrodiol was catalyzed by toluene dioxygenase, and its subsequent dehydrogenation to 3-methylcatechol was catalyzed by toluene dihydrodiol dehydrogenase. The specific activity of the dioxygenase was 2.82 U/mg-protein, which is highly remarkable compared with the values obtained in previous researches conducted with crude extracts or insoluble forms of enzymes. Kinetic parameters, as characterized by the Hill equation, were vmax = 497.2 µM/min, KM = 542.4 µM, and nH = 2.2, suggesting that toluene dioxygenase has at least three cooperative binding sites for toluene. In addition, the use of alternative ferredoxins and reductases was examined. Ferredoxin cloned from CYP153 could transfer electrons to the iron sulfur protein component of toluene dioxygenase. The ferredoxin could be reduced by ferredoxin, rubredoxin, and putidaredoxin reductases of CYP153, alkane-1 monooxygenase, and camphor 5-monooxygenase, respectively. The results provide useful information regarding the effective enzymatic biotreatment of hazardous aromatic hydrocarbon contaminants.