Hypoadiponectinemia and Insulin Resistance are Associated with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

We investigated the association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and plasma adiponectin levels and insulin resistance. We recruited study subjects among one hundred and eighty one persons who were examined abdominal ultrasound at routine screening tests. A standard interview (consumption of alcohol and medical history), physical examination (height, weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure), and biochemical study (lipid parameters, aminotransferases, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, and plasma adiponectin) were performed. Subjects who consumed alcohol more than moderate, evidence of viral hepatitis, toxic hepatitis, and serious cardiac, renal, or hepatic disease were excluded. Thirty-eight NAFLD patients and 53 control subjects diagnosed by ultrasound were finally analyzed. The plasma adiponectin level was significantly correlated with HDL-cholesterol (r=0. 38, p<0.001), triglycerides (r=-0.22, p=0.04), fasting insulin (r=-0.37, p<0.01), and insulin resistance by homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (r=-0.39, p<0.01), after adjusting for age, sex, and adiposity. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that HOMA-IR was a significant predictor of having NAFLD (odds ratio [OR]=2.38; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.52-5.74), while adiponectin had a protective effect against NAFLD (OR=0.22; 95% CI: 0.09-0.55). We demonstrated that hypoadiponectinemia and insulin resistance are associated with NAFLD independent of obesity

Comparison of Complications after Coronavirus Disease and Seasonal Influenza, South Korea

We conducted a retrospective cohort study using claims data to determine the number and types of complications from coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that patients experience and which patients are more vulnerable to those complications compared with complications in patients with influenza. Among the cohort, 19.6% of COVID-19 patients and 28.5% of influenza patients had &gt;= 1 new complication. In most complications, COVID-19 patients had lower or similar relative risk compared with influenza patients; exceptions were hair loss, heart failure, mood disorder, and dementia. Young to middle-aged adult COVID-19 patients and patients in COVID-19 hotspots had a higher risk for complications. Overall, COVID-19 patients had fewer complications than influenza patients, but caution is necessary in high-risk groups. If the fatality rate for COVID-19 is reduced through vaccination, management strategies for this disease could be adapted, similar to those for influenza management, such as easing restrictions on economic activity or requirements for close-contact isolation.N

On-site applicable diagnostic fluorescent probe for fire blight bacteria

Summary: Fire blight is a representative plant infection that contaminates edible plants and causes socio-economic problems in agricultural and livestock industries globally. It is caused by the pathogen Erwinia amylovora (E. amylovora) creates lethal plant necrosis and spreads rapidly across plant organs. We newly disclose the fluorogenic probe B-1 for real-time on-site detection of fire blight bacteria for the first time. B-1 exhibited no emission signals but manifested bright emission properties in the presence of fire blight bacteria. Based on these features, fluorescence imaging of the fire blight bacteria and its real-time detection from the infected host plant tissues were conducted. The detection limit against E. amylovora was 102 CFU/mL, which had excellent sensitivity. The fluorogenic probe-based on-site diagnostic technology was supplemented by introducing a new portable UV device. This work holds enormous potential to be a new advanced tool for detecting fire blight in agricultural and livestock industries

P. mirabilis-derived pore-forming haemolysin, HpmA drives intestinal alpha-synuclein aggregation in a mouse model of neurodegenerationResearch in context

Summary: Background: Recent studies suggesting the importance of the gut-microbiome in intestinal aggregated alpha synuclein (α-syn) have led to the exploration of the possible role of the gut-brain axis in central nervous system degeneration. Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis), a gram-negative facultative anaerobic bacterium, has been linked to brain neurodegeneration in animal studies. We hypothesised that P. mirabilis-derived virulence factors aggregate intestinal α-synuclein and could prompt the pathogenesis of dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the brain. Methods: We used vagotomised- and antibiotic-treated male murine models to determine the pathogenesis of P. mirabilis during brain neurodegeneration. The neurodegenerative factor that is driven by P. mirabilis was determined using genetically mutated P. mirabilis. The pathological functions and interactions of the virulence factors were determined in vitro. Findings: The results showed that P. mirabilis-induced motor dysfunction and neurodegeneration are regulated by intestinal α-syn aggregation in vagotomised- or antibiotic-treated murine models. We deduced that the specific virulence factor, haemolysin A (HpmA), plays a role in the pathogenesis of P. mirabilis. HpmA is involved in α-synuclein oligomerisation and membrane pore formation, resulting in the activation of mTOR-mediated autophagy signalling in intestinal neuroendocrine cells. Interpretation: Taken together, the results of the present study suggest that HpmA can interact with α-syn and act as a possible indicator of brain neurodegenerative diseases that are induced by P. mirabilis. Funding: This study was supported by a grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea