Association between Periodontitis and Sarcopenia in Korean Adult Population

BACKGROUND: The development of sarcopenia and periodontitis is multifactorial, and several factors that play a role in periodontitis are thought to contribute to sarcopenia. This study evaluated the association between periodontitis and sarcopenia using data from the 2008–2009 Korea National Examination Survey.METHODS: We used the data of 2,340 Korean adults aged more than 65 years from the 2008–2009 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Sarcopenia was defined as the appendicular skeletal muscle mass divided by weight (kg/kg) <2 deviations less than the sex-specific mean for young adults. Periodontal health .was measured using the Community Periodontal Index (CPI), and periodontitis was defined as a CPI score of 3 or 4.RESULTS: Analysis using the chi-square test and linear logistic regression showed that the prevalence of periodontitis increased significantly. The odds ratio (OR) (95% confidence interval [CI]) for sarcopenia was 2.498 (1.366–4.569). After adjusting for age and sex, the OR (95% CI) was 2.430 (1.323–4.465). The OR (95% CI) after adjusting for age, sex, diabetes mellitus, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and cancer was 2.168 (1.160–4.051).CONCLUSION: Sarcopenia is a representative lifestyle disease associated with periodontitis. In addition, sarcopenia is related to poor quality of life, especially mobility and usual activity. Therefore, greater attention must be paid to patients with periodontitis and they must be evaluated for sarcopenia to prevent and improve poor quality of life.

Molecular Epidemiology of Bacillus cereus in a Pediatric Cancer Center

PURPOSE: Bacillus cereus has been reported as the cause of nosocomial infections in cancer patients. In our pediatric cancer ward, a sudden rise in the number of patients with B. cereus bacteremia was observed in 2013 to 2014. This study was performed to investigate the molecular epidemiology of increased B. cereus bacteremia cases in our center. METHODS: Pediatric cancer patients who developed B. cereus bacteremia were identified from January 2001 to June 2014. The B. cereus bacteremia in this study was defined as a case in which at least one B. cereus identified in blood cultures, regardless of true bacteremia. Available isolates were further tested by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) analysis. A retrospective chart review was performed. RESULTS: Nineteen patients developed B. cereus bacteremia during the study period. However, in 2013, a sudden increase in the number of patients with B. cereus bacteremia was observed. In addition, three patients developed B. cereus bacteremia within 1 week in July and the other three patients within 1 week in October, respectively, during emergency room renovation. However, MLST analysis revealed different sequence types without consistent patterns. Before 2013, five tested isolates were ST18, ST26, ST177, and ST147-like type, and ST219-like type. Isolates from 2013 were ST18, ST73, ST90, ST427, ST784, ST34-like type, and ST130-like type. CONCLUSIONS: MLST analyses showed variable ST distribution of B. cereus isolates. Based on this study, there was no significant evidence suggesting a true outbreak caused by a single ST among patients who developed B. cereus bacteremia.

Antibody Responses in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Recipients after Vaccination Against Haemophilus Influenzae Type b and Streptococcus pneumoniae / 소아감염

PURPOSE: Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients are vulnerable to invasive infection by Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp). This study was performed to evaluate immune responses after Hib and Sp vaccination in Korean pediatric HCT recipients. METHODS: Patients were prospectively enrolled at Samsung Medical Center during 2009-2011. ELISA tests to detect anti-PRP IgG antibody and antibodies to Sp serotypes 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, and 23F were performed at the Center for Vaccine Evaluation and Study, Ewha Medical Research Institute. RESULTS: Ten patients (two allogeneic, eight autologous recipients) with median age 5.4 years (range 2.7-12.2 years) were enrolled. Before Hib vaccination, 60% of patients' anti-PRP IgG titers were below 0.15 microg/mL. After vaccination, 100% of patients' anti-PRP IgG titers increased above 0.15 microg/mL (cut-off value for detection) and 1.0 microg/mL (cut-off value for seroprotection). For pneumococcus, in 2-5 year-old patients, pre-vaccination geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) of IgG for six serotypes (4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, and 23F) were below 0.35 microg/mL and at 5 months post-vaccination GMCs of IgG for all seven serotypes increased to above 0.35 microg/mL. In patients older than 5 years, pre-vaccination GMCs of IgG for four serotypes (4, 9V, 14, and 23F) were below 0.35 microg/mL and at 3 months post-vaccination GMCs of IgG for all seven serotypes increased to above 0.35 microg/mL. CONCLUSION: Most HCT recipients had low or no protective antibodies to Hib and Sp before vaccination, but showed good immune responses to protective levels after vaccination.