Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of NVP-1203 and aceclofenac in patients with acute low back pain and muscle spasm: A randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, parallel, multicenter, phase 3 clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Acute low back pain (LBP) is a common condition that can be chronic if not properly treated. Aceclofenac and eperisone hydrochloride are commonly prescribed drugs for acute LBP and muscle spasms. Therefore, NVP-1203, a fixed-dose combination of 100 mg aceclofenac and 75 mg eperisone hydrochloride, is being developed. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NVP-1203 compared to those of a single administration of 100 mg aceclofenac in patients with acute LBP and muscle spasms. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Overall, 455 patients with acute LBP and muscle spasms were enrolled. The patients were assigned to NVP-1203 or Airtal group (aceclofenac 100 mg). The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean change in the 100 mm pain movement and resting visual analog scale (VAS) scores on treatment day 7. RESULTS: The mean change in the 100 mm pain movement/resting VAS scores from baseline to day 7 was -49.7 ± 21.5/-41.0 ± 19.4 mm and -38.8 ± 18.9/-33.8 ± 18.0 mm for the NVP-1203 and Airtal groups, respectively. The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (movement, p < 0.0001; resting, p = 0.0002). Differences in least-square (LS) mean change of the 100 mm pain movement/resting VAS score between the two groups using the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model was -10.2/-7.4 mm, and the upper limit of the 95% confidence interval was -6.44/-4.16 mm. CONCLUSIONS: NVP-1203 is more effective in reducing pain than the 100 mg aceclofenac alone. However, the two drugs have similar safety profiles in patients with acute LBP and muscle spasms.

National health screening may reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality among the elderly.

OBJECTIVES: Since 2007, the Korean government has provided a free health screening to the elderly starting at the age of 66 years. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between this general health screening and the incidences of stroke and myocardial infarction and mortality. STUDY DESIGN: The study design used in this study is a retrospective cohort study. METHODS: The study was conducted using the universe of insurance claims data of Korea and followed a cohort of individuals aged 66 years in 2009 from 2006 through 2016 (n = 354,194). We assessed the association between receipt of the national health screening and health outcomes using propensity matching and Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS: We found that the receipt of the national health screening was associated with a reduction in negative health outcomes. The hazard ratio for stroke was 0.89 (P < 0.001), 0.88 (P < 0.001) for myocardial infarction and 0.58 for death (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Korea's national health screening was associated with reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the elderly.

Effects of anti-osteoporosis medications on radiological and clinical results after acute osteoporotic spinal fractures: a retrospective analysis of prospectively designed study.

Effects of anti-osteoporosis medications such as anti-resorptive and anabolic agents on healing of osteoporotic spinal fracture were retrospectively investigated. The use of anabolic agent significantly enhanced fracture healing, reduced progressive collapse, and presented good pain relief. These findings suggest that proper selection of medication could improve initial management of acute osteoporotic spinal fractures (OSFs). INTRODUCTION: Although anti-osteoporosis medications have beneficial effects on prevention of osteoporotic spinal fractures (OSFs), few studies have compared effects of medications on fracture healing following OSFs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to elucidate the effects of different anti-osteoporosis medications on radiological and clinical outcomes after acute OSFs. METHODS: A total of 132 patients diagnosed with acute OSFs were enrolled and allocated into three groups [group I (n = 39, no anti-osteoporosis medication), group II (n = 66, bisphosphonate), and group III (n = 27, parathyroid hormone (PTH)]. Radiological parameters including magnetic resonance (MR) classification, occurrence of intravertebral cleft (IVC), and clinical outcomes such as numerical rating scale (NRS) and Oswestry disability index were assessed. Risk analyses for IVC and progressive collapse were done along the related factors and medication type. RESULTS: IVC sign was observed in 30 patients. The rate of IVC sign was lower in group III (7.4%) than that in group I (20.5%) or group II (30.3%), although the difference was not statistically significant. Moreover, the degree of NRS improvement was better in group III than that in group I or group II (5.7 vs. 3.1 vs. 3.5, p < 0.001). On multiple regression analysis, mid-portion type fracture in MR classification was a significant risk factor for progressive OSFs. The use of PTH showed significant lower incidences of occurrence of IVC (odds ratio (OR) = 0.160) and increase in height loss (OR = 0.325). CONCLUSIONS: Different anti-osteoporosis medications presented different clinical and radiological results after acute OSFs. The use of anabolic agent significantly enhanced fracture healing, reduced progressive collapse, and presented better clinical outcomes. Proper selection of medication might improve initial management of acute OSFs.

The effect of low body mass index on the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and mortality.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia may worsen disease progression and lead to poor outcomes in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). OBJECTIVES: We aimed to determine the effect of BMI on the development of COPD and mortality. METHODS: We enrolled 437 584 participants registered in the physical health check-up cohort database of the Korean National Health Interview Survey from 2002 to 2003, and we defined COPD diagnosis based on the ICD-10 code and prescribed medication. BMI (kg m-2 ) classified them to five groups (low BMI < 18.5, normal BMI 18.5-23, overweight 23-25, obesity 25-30, severe obesity ≥30) at baseline. RESULTS: Participants in the low BMI group had a significantly higher rate of COPD development for 13 years (7.6%) than those in other groups (3.4-4.1%, P < 0.0001). Amongst never or light smokers, COPD development in the low BMI group (5.6-6.7%) was significantly higher than that in other groups (2.8-4.7%). Similarly, amongst participants with a smoking history of ≥30 years, COPD development in the low BMI group (20.1%) was higher than those in other groups (8.4-12.4%). On multivariable analysis, normal or higher than normal body weight was significantly protective against the development of COPD (hazard ratio [HR], 0.609-0.739,) compared to low BMI. COPD-free-survival (HR, 0.491-0.622) and overall survival (HR, 0.440-0.585) were also better in them compared to those with low BMI (all P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Low BMI is an important risk factor for COPD development and mortality. Maintaining adequate body weight may reduce the risk for COPD development and mortality.

Effect of carvacrol essential oils on immune response and inflammation-related genes expression in broilers challenged by lipopolysaccharide.

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of orally administered carvacrol essential oils on immune response and inflammation-related genes expression in broilers challenged by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Eighty 28-day-old (1.28 ± 0.15 kg) ROSS 308 broilers were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments (20 pens of 1 chick/trt). Factors were carvacrol essential oil (orally administered or non-orally administered) and LPS (challenged or non-challenged). Individually housed broilers were randomly assigned (n = 20 broilers per treatment: 10 males and 10 females) to four treatments: (1) basic diet (CTR), (2) basic diet + carvacrol (CAR), (3) basic diet + LPS-challenge (LPS), (4) basic diet + carvacrol + LPS-challenge (CAR+LPS). All were fed with the same diet. The experimental period was for 15 d, after which injecting LPS significantly up-regulated the gene expression levels of TNF-α (P < 0.05), IL-1ß (P < 0.05), IL-6 (P < 0.05), IL-8 (P < 0.05), TLR2 (P < 0.05), TLR4 (P < 0.05), NF-κB p65 (P < 0.05), AVBD-9 (P < 0.05), and SIgA(P < 0.05) compared with the CTR group; the broilers were challenged by LPS after oral administration of carvacrol, they had significant lower on the gene expression levels of TNF-α (P < 0.05), IL-1ß (P < 0.05), IL-6 (P < 0.05), TLR4 (P < 0.05), NF-κB p65 (P < 0.05), and AVBD-9 (P < 0.05) than the LPS group. In conclusion, the broilers orally administrated carvacrol essential oils inhibited the secretion of inflammatory cytokines caused by LPS, affected the pathway of TLRs/NF-κB, and showed an anti-inflammatory function.

Distribution of Anti-ABO Immunoglobulin G Subclass and C1q Antibody in ABO-incompatible Kidney Transplantation.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the correlation between serum anti-ABO immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgG subclasses, anti-ABO IgG subclasses were measured by flow cytometry (FCM) in ABO-incompatible (ABOi) kidney transplant recipients. We also evaluated baseline anti-ABO C1q antibody. METHOD: Baseline anti-ABO IgG titers were measured by both FCM and column agglutination technique methods in 18 ABOi kidney transplant recipients. The mean florescence intensity (MFI) ratios of baseline anti-ABO IgG subclasses and anti-ABO C1q antibody were obtained by FCM and followed-up after rituximab treatment, each plasmapheresis (PP) session, and kidney transplantation. Correlation between the values of IgG subclass and total IgG titer was analyzed. RESULTS: The baseline MFI ratios of total IgG, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 were 202.46, 62.41, 30.01, 1.04, and 1.13, respectively. The MFI ratios of IgG1, IgG2, and total IgG measured at baseline and pre-PP were positively correlated with the baseline ABO titer was measured using the column agglutination technique. The numbers of PP sessions to reach the target titer were correlated with the baseline IgG and IgG1 levels. IgG1 and IgG2 as well as total IgG were removed effectively after serial PP. Anti-ABO C1q antibody was neither detected nor correlated with total IgG and any IgG subclasses. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that IgG1 and IgG2 are the dominant IgG subclass in ABOi kidney transplant recipients. Baseline levels of IgG1 and IgG2 were correlated with baseline total IgG titer. However, anti-ABO C1q antibody was not detected in the present study.

Insulin Resistance is Associated with Chronic Laryngitis in Korean Women.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between chronic laryngitis (CL) and insulin resistance (IR) in South Korea using data from the 2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES). DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional data of 4,261 adults who completed KNHANES were analyzed. CL was considered when participants experienced a voice change and demonstrated flexible laryngoscopic findings of diffuse laryngeal inflammation. All participants were assessed for IR using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). RESULTS: Among the Korean population older than 19 years, the prevalence of chronic laryngitis was 3.8±0.7%. Univariate analysis demonstrated that CL was significantly associated with smoking and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in men and with age, diastolic blood pressure, HDL cholesterol, insulin, and HOMA-IR in women. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the mean value of HOMA-IR was significantly associated with CL in women only. In addition, CL was more prevalent in the highest compared with the lowest HOMA-IR quartile (OR [95% CI]: 2.268 [1.053-4.884] after adjusting for age, OR [95% CI]: 2.235 [1.040-6.181] after adjusting for confounding factors of age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, regular exercise, education, and income). CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that IR characterized by HOMA-IR is significantly associated with CL in Korean women only. Our results suggest that HOMA-IR could be an early predictive factor of increased risk of CL in Korean women.

The distribution of calbindinD-28k and parvalbumin immunoreactive neurons in the somatosensory area of the pigeon pallium.

GABAergic interneurons regulate the degree of glutamatergic excitation and output of projection neurons. In this study, we investigated the distribution of calbindinD-28k (CB) and parvalbumin (PV) in the somatosensory area of the pigeon pallium using immunohistochemical method. Our results show that anatomical structures of the somatosensory area of the pigeon pallium consisted of several subdivisions including the hyperpallium, intercalated hyperpallium, mesopallium, nidopallium and basorostralis. Neuronal density was significantly higher in the intercalated hyperpallium and basorostralis than that in the other subdivisions. The density of the CB immunoreactive neurons was generally similar in all the subdivisions; however, the density of PV immunoreactive neurons was particularly prominent in the basorostralis compared with that in the other subdivisions. In addition, the mean proportion of PV immunoreactive neurons to total neurons was higher than that in the CB immunoreactive neurons in all the subdivisions. In brief, our present study shows that PV immunoreactive neurons in the somatosensory area of the pigeon pallium were significantly abundant compared with CB immunoreactive neurons. This finding needs more studies regarding CB- and PV-related functions in the somatosensory area of the avian pallium.

The location of projection neurons to the biceps brachii muscle in the telencephalon of the pigeon.

Few studies regarding the anatomical distribution of motor neurons innervating muscles of the arm have been demonstrated in avian brains. The purpose of this study was to finely determine the localization of cerebral neurons innervating the biceps brachii muscle in the pigeon. The cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) was employed as a retrograde tracer to determine the location of neurons controlling the biceps brachii muscle in the telencephalon following intramuscular injection in male pigeons (n = 7), which were killed 14 days after intramuscular injection with CTB. We found that CTB-labelled neurons were located contralaterally in the hyperpallium apicale of the rostral telencephalon and that most of the CTB-labelled neurons were pyramidal in shape. This study shows that CTB is easily taken up by nerve terminals which innervate the biceps brachii muscle of the pigeon and that cerebral motor neurons controlling the biceps brachii muscle are located in the hyperpallium apicale.

Metabolomics Study for Identification of Potential Biomarkers of Long-term Survival in Kidney Transplantation Recipients.

BACKGROUND: The recent progress and appropriate use of immunosuppressive drugs have considerably improved the short-term survival in kidney transplantation recipients (KTRs). The development of new strategies to improve long-term survival outcome after kidney transplantation is also becoming important. Although current diagnosis of allograft dysfunction relies on serum creatinine concentration and biopsy, they are nonspecific indicators of allograft function. Therefore, noninvasive, sensitive, and specific biomarkers for the prediction of long-term survival are needed. The aim of this study was to discover potential biomarkers for long-term survival in KTRs through the use of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. METHODS: We used the metabolic approach to explore the change of metabolites in the serum of KTRs. Twenty-four KTRs with long-term good survival (LGS) and 10 KTRs with chronic antibody-mediated rejection (CAMR) were included in this study. After quantile normalization with chromatographic data, multivariate statistical analysis was performed. We attempted to analyze metabolic profiling with LGS and CAMR groups. RESULTS: The orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis score plot showed a separation between 2 groups in the principal component. In the corresponding loading plot, 344 metabolites responsible for the separation observed in the score plot were identified (variable influence on projection ≥1.0). We then selected 54 metabolites to compare mass with charge by searching a web database, and 11 compounds were identified. CONCLUSIONS: We found metabolites in serum that differ in LGS and CAMR groups. Further studies are needed to figure out potential metabolomic biomarkers to predict long-term survival in KTRs.

Cystatin C-Based Equation for Predicting the Glomerular Filtration Rate in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: Precise monitoring of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is needed to estimate the allograft function in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). The GFR is widely estimated with the use of formulas based on serum cystatin C (SCys) and serum creatinine (SCr) levels. We compared the efficacy of SCys-based equations with that of SCr-based equations to predict the allograft function. METHODS: We calculated the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD), Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI Cr), CKD-EPI creatinine-cystatin C (CKD-EPI Cr/Cys), and CKD-EPI cystatin C (CKD-EP ICys) equations in 70 KTRs. The measured GFR (mGFR) was defined as the GFR estimated by technetium-99m-diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (99mTc-DTPA) clearance. The accuracy and precision of the equations were compared with the mGFR. The performance characteristics of SCr and SCys were analyzed with the use of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to ascertain the sensitivity and specificity at the cutoff value of <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 DTPA. RESULTS: Overall, MDRD and CKD-EPICys did not show significant differences from mGFR (P = .05 and P = .077, respectively), whereas CKD-EPI Cr and CKD-EPI Cr/Cys significantly underestimated mGFR (P < .001 and P = .005, respectively). In the subgroup of patients with mGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2, CKD-EPI Cys showed little bias (P = .122), whereas MDRD significantly underestimated mGFR (P = .037). The area under the ROC curve for predicting mGFR <45 mL/min/1.73 m2 was 0.80 for SCys, which was better than that for SCr at 0.763. CONCLUSIONS: Cystatin C-based equations showed better predictive performance of the allograft function than creatinine-based equations for the KTRs, including patients with lower GFR. Cystatin C level might be a good alternate measurement to monitor the allograft function.

Effect of Changes in Body Mass Index on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Kidney Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND: A higher body mass index (BMI) before kidney transplantation (KT) is associated with increased mortality and allograft loss in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). However, the effect of changes in BMI after KT on these outcomes remains uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of baseline BMI and changes in BMI on clinical outcomes in KTRs. METHODS: A total of 869 KTRs were enrolled from a multicenter observational cohort study from 2012 to 2015. Patients were divided into low and high BMI groups before KT based on a BMI cutoff point of 23 kg/m2. Differences in acute rejection and cardiovascular disease (CVD) between the 2 groups were analyzed. In addition, clinical outcomes across the 4 BMI groups divided by BMI change 1 year after KT were compared. Associations between BMI change and laboratory findings were also evaluated. RESULTS: Patients with a higher BMI before KT showed significantly increased CVD after KT (P = .027) compared with patients with a lower BMI. However, among the KTRs with a higher baseline BMI, only persistently higher BMI was associated with increased CVD during the follow-up period (P = .003). Patients with persistently higher BMI had significantly decreased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased hemoglobin, triglyceride, and hemoglobin A1c levels. Baseline BMI and post-transplantation change in BMI were not related to acute rejection in KTRs. CONCLUSIONS: BMI in the 1st year after KT as well as baseline BMI were associated with CVD in KTRs. More careful monitoring of obese KTRs who do not undergo a reduction in BMI after KT is required.

Zoomed MRI Guided by Combined EEG/MEG Source Analysis: A Multimodal Approach for Optimizing Presurgical Epilepsy Work-up and its Application in a Multi-focal Epilepsy Patient Case Study.

In recent years, the use of source analysis based on electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG) has gained considerable attention in presurgical epilepsy diagnosis. However, in many cases the source analysis alone is not used to tailor surgery unless the findings are confirmed by lesions, such as, e.g., cortical malformations in MRI. For many patients, the histology of tissue resected from MRI negative epilepsy shows small lesions, which indicates the need for more sensitive MR sequences. In this paper, we describe a technique to maximize the synergy between combined EEG/MEG (EMEG) source analysis and high resolution MRI. The procedure has three main steps: (1) construction of a detailed and calibrated finite element head model that considers the variation of individual skull conductivities and white matter anisotropy, (2) EMEG source analysis performed on averaged interictal epileptic discharges (IED), (3) high resolution (0.5 mm) zoomed MR imaging, limited to small areas centered at the EMEG source locations. The proposed new diagnosis procedure was then applied in a particularly challenging case of an epilepsy patient: EMEG analysis at the peak of the IED coincided with a right frontal focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), which had been detected at standard 1 mm resolution MRI. Of higher interest, zoomed MR imaging (applying parallel transmission, 'ZOOMit') guided by EMEG at the spike onset revealed a second, fairly subtle, FCD in the left fronto-central region. The evaluation revealed that this second FCD, which had not been detectable with standard 1 mm resolution, was the trigger of the seizures.

Anti-inflammatory effects of simvastatin in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-induced small bowel injury.

Small bowel injury can occur as the result of a multifaceted process that includes increased acid secretion, generation of reactive oxygen species, and cyclooxygenase inhibition. However, no effective medication for small bowel ulceration is available. Simvastatin is an important lipid-lowering agent with anti-inflammatory activity. We aimed to validate the effects of simvastatin in vitro and in vivo. In presence or absence of simvastatin, IEC-6 small bowel cell line with 50 ng/ml of tumor nectosis factor α (TNF-α) was investigated by western blotting, qRT-PCR, and DCF-DA assay. In addition, an in vivo study of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID)-induced small bowel inflammation was performed using 7-week-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) male C57BL/6 mice. Simvastatin treatment reduced the mRNA levels of interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 by approximately 50% in TNF-α-stimulated IEC-6 cells. Treatment with a combination of 50 ng/ml TNF-α and µM simvastatin decreased activation of Akt, IκBα, and nuclear factor-κB p65 level in IEC-6 cells. By DCF-DA staining, intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was increased in TNF-α-stimulated cells, and treatment with simvastatin decreased the level of ROS. In addition, in vivo mouse model of NSAID-induced small bowel inflammation, the administration of simvastatin reduced the number of small bowel hemorrhagic lesions and the level of ROS production as determined by gross examination and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine immunohistochemistry of small bowel tissue, respectively. Simvastatin reduced NSAID-induced injuries by both suppression of ROS generation and modulation of inflammatory cytokines in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, simvastatin, an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, has potential as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent for NSAID-induced small bowel injury.

Analysis and comparison of the cost-effectiveness of statins according to the baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level in Korea.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: There are a few Korean studies on the economics of statins based on reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) data from other countries. This study aimed to analyse and compare the cost-effectiveness of statins according to the baseline LDL-C level in Korea. METHODS: Between January 2009 and December 2015, the data of patients who were prescribed statins for the first time were extracted from electronic medical records. We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) based on the LDL-C reduction rate (CEA-RR) and target achievement rate. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Among high-intensity statins, the CEA-RR value of rosuvastatin (20 mg) was significantly lower than that of atorvastatin (40 mg) at all baseline LDL-C levels, except levels of 160-189 mg/dL. Additionally, at baseline LDL-C levels of 130-159 mg/dL, the CEA-RR value of rosuvastatin (20 mg) was three times lower than that of atorvastatin (40 mg) (9·1 ± 2·5 $/% vs. 31·7 ± 15·0 $/%, P < 0·001). Among moderate-to-low-intensity statins, rosuvastatin (5 mg) showed the lowest CEA-RR value (4·0 ± 0·6 $/%), and the value significantly increased for pitavastatin (2 mg) (8·0 ± 0·6 $/%), atorvastatin (10 mg) (9·5 ± 0·5 $/%), simvastatin (10·8 ± 1·1 $/%) and pravastatin (40 mg) (11·5 ± 0·9 $/%) in order (P < 0·0001). On changing from atorvastatin (10 mg) to atorvastatin (20 mg), the additional yearly cost was 16·0 and additional CEA-RR value was 2·74 $/%. On the other hand, on changing from atorvastatin (10 mg) to rosuvastatin (10 mg), the additional yearly cost was -16·3 and additional CEA-RR value was -1·8 $/%. WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: We successfully compared the cost-effectiveness of statins according to the baseline LDL-C level in Korea. It is expected that our findings will help clinical decision-making with regard to statin prescription, and this will help reduce national medical expenditure.

Effects of essential oil (blended and single essential oils) on anti-biofilm formation of Salmonella and Escherichia coli.

BACKGROUND: Biofilms were the third-dimensional structure in the solid surface of bacteria. Bacterial biofilms were difficult to control by host defenses and antibiotic therapies. Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella were popular pathogenic bacteria that live in human and animal intestines. Essential oils are aromatic oily liquids from plant materials and well known for their antibacterial activities. METHOD: This study was conducted to determine effect of essential oil on anti-biological biofilm formation of E. coli and Salmonella strains in in vitro experiment. Two kinds of bacterial strains were separated from 0.2 g pig feces. Bacterial strains were distributed in 24 plates per treatment and each plates as a replication. The sample was coated with a Bacterial biofilm formation was. RESULT: Photographic result, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella bacteria colony surface were thick smooth surface in control. However, colony surface in blended and single essential oil treatment has shown crack surface layer compared with colony surfaces in control. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study could confirm that essential oils have some interesting effect on anti-biofilm formation of E. coli and Salmonella strains from pig feces.

Wwox-Brca1 interaction: role in DNA repair pathway choice.

In this study, loss of expression of the fragile site-encoded Wwox protein was found to contribute to radiation and cisplatin resistance of cells, responses that could be associated with cancer recurrence and poor outcome. WWOX gene deletions occur in a variety of human cancer types, and reduced Wwox protein expression can be detected early during cancer development. We found that Wwox loss is followed by mild chromosome instability in genomes of mouse embryo fibroblast cells from Wwox-knockout mice. Human and mouse cells deficient for Wwox also exhibit significantly enhanced survival of ionizing radiation and bleomycin treatment, agents that induce double-strand breaks (DSBs). Cancer cells that survive radiation recur more rapidly in a xenograft model of irradiated breast cancer cells; Wwox-deficient cells exhibited significantly shorter tumor latencies vs Wwox-expressing cells. This Wwox effect has important consequences in human disease: in a cohort of cancer patients treated with radiation, Wwox deficiency significantly correlated with shorter overall survival times. In examining mechanisms underlying Wwox-dependent survival differences, we found that Wwox-deficient cells exhibit enhanced homology directed repair (HDR) and decreased non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair, suggesting that Wwox contributes to DNA DSB repair pathway choice. Upon silencing of Rad51, a protein critical for HDR, Wwox-deficient cells were resensitized to radiation. We also demonstrated interaction of Wwox with Brca1, a driver of HDR, and show via immunofluorescent detection of repair proteins at ionizing radiation-induced DNA damage foci that Wwox expression suppresses DSB repair at the end-resection step of HDR. We propose a genome caretaker function for WWOX, in which Brca1-Wwox interaction supports NHEJ as the dominant DSB repair pathway in Wwox-sufficient cells. Taken together, the experimental results suggest that reduced Wwox expression, a common occurrence in cancers, dysregulates DSB repair, enhancing efficiency of likely mutagenic repair, and enabling radiation and cisplatin treatment resistance.

Computed tomography findings associated with bacteremia in adult patients with a urinary tract infection.

The use of computed tomography (CT) in the diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) has rapidly increased recently at acute stage, but the CT findings associated with bacteremia in UTI patients are unknown. 189 UTI patients were enrolled who underwent a CT scan within 24 h after hospital admission. We classified CT findings into eight types: a focal or multifocal wedge-shaped area of hypoperfusion, enlarged kidneys, perinephric fat stranding, ureteritis or pyelitis, complicated renal cyst, renal papillary necrosis, hydronephrosis, and renal and perirenal abscess. A retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate the CT findings associated with bacteremia. The mean age of these patients was 60 ± 17.2 years, and 93.1 % were women. Concurrent bacteremia was noted in 40.2 % of the patients. Abnormal CT findings were noted in 96.3 % of the patients and 62.4 % had two or more abnormal findings. The most frequent abnormal CT finding was a focal or multifocal wedge-shaped area of hypoperfusion (77.2 %), followed by perinephric fat stranding (29.1 %). Perinephric fat stranding, hydronephrosis, and the presence of two or more abnormal CT findings were significantly associated with bacteremia in patients with community-acquired UTI. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, age [odds ratio (OR) 1.03; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.009-1.062], two or more abnormal CT findings (OR 3.163; 95 % CI 1.334-7.498), and hydronephrosis (OR 13.160; 95 % CI 1.048-165.282) were significantly associated with bacteremia. Physicians should be aware that appropriate early management is necessary to prevent fatality in patients with these CT findings.

Comparative analysis of the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids for hypertriglyceridaemia management in Korea.

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the ability of statin monotherapy (ST group), omega-3 fatty acid monotherapy (OM_A group) and combination therapy with omega-3 fatty acids and a statin (OM_S group), to reduce triglyceride (TG) levels in patients with hypertriglyceridaemia. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we extracted data from the electronic medical records of patients initially prescribed either a statin or omega-3 fatty acids between January, 2009 and December, 2013. We performed a comparative analysis of the change in cholesterol levels between baseline and an average of 3 months later. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Data were extracted for 2071 patients. The average daily eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ethyl ester and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ethyl ester intake was 1689 mg, and 79-86% of the OM_A and OM_S groups were prescribed two omega-3 fatty acid capsules. At a baseline TG level of between 200 and 500 mg/dL, TG levels were reduced by 16 ± 2·8% in the ST group, 28 ± 2·8% in the OM_A group and 29 ± 2·3% in the OM_S group (P = 0·001 for ST group vs. OM_A and OM_S groups), with no difference between the OM_A and OM_S groups. At a baseline TG level ≥500 mg/dL, there was no difference in TG level reduction between the three groups (54 ± 7·3%, 55·8 ± 3·5% and 51·8 ± 6·8%, respectively, P = 0·851). WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION: Although omega-3 fatty acids are not considered the primary medication for hypertriglyceridaemia, the prescription of omega-3 fatty acids is justifiable if reduction in TG levels is judged to be necessary.

UTE-ΔR2 -ΔR2 * combined MR whole-brain angiogram using dual-contrast superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

The ability to visualize whole-brain vasculature is important for quantitative in vivo investigation of vascular malfunctions in cerebral small vessel diseases, including cancer, stroke and neurodegeneration. Transverse relaxation-based ΔR2 and ΔR2 * MR angiography (MRA) provides improved vessel-tissue contrast in animal deep brain with the aid of intravascular contrast agents; however, it is susceptible to orientation dependence, air-tissue interface artifacts and vessel size overestimation. Dual-mode MRA acquisition with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) provides a unique opportunity to systematically compare and synergistically combine both longitudinal (R1 ) and transverse (ΔR2 and ΔR2 *) relaxation-based MRA. Through Monte Carlo (MC) simulation and MRA experiments in normal and tumor-bearing animals with intravascular SPION, we show that ultrashort TE (UTE) MRA acquires well-defined vascularization on the brain surface, minimizing air-tissue artifacts, and combined ΔR2 and ΔR2 * MRA simultaneously improves the sensitivity to intracortical penetrating vessels and reduces vessel size overestimation. Consequently, UTE-ΔR2 -ΔR2 * combined MRA complements the shortcomings of individual angiograms and provides a strategy to synergistically merge longitudinal and transverse relaxation effects to generate more robust in vivo whole-brain micro-MRA. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.