Prebiotic potential of green banana flour: impact on gut microbiota modulation and microbial metabolic activity in a murine model

IntroductionGreen banana flour can be used as a prebiotic due to its ability to promote gut health and provide several health benefits. In this study, we investigated whether feeding mice green banana flour at different doses would alter intestinal microbiota composition.MethodsWe fed C57BL/6N mice either a Low-dose (500 mg/kg/day) or High-dose (2000 mg/kg/day) of green banana flour daily for 3 weeks, and fecal samples were collected on days 0, 14, and 21 for microbiota analysis.ResultsOur results showed that the composition of intestinal microbiota was significantly altered by day 21, regardless of the dose. Notably, the consumption of green banana flour increased the presence of beneficial bacteria, including Coriobacteriaceae_UCG-002, Turicibacter, Parasutterella, Gastranaerophilales_ge, and RF39_ge. These changes in the intestinal microorganisms were accompanied by increased biological processes such as amino acid biosynthesis and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Conversely, the consumption of green banana flour resulted in a decrease in biological processes related to carbohydrate degradation, glycerol degradation, and similar functions.DiscussionThese results emphasize the potential of green banana flour as a prebiotic that can benefit the gut microbiome

Comparison of self-reported and accelerometer-assessed measurements of physical activity according to socio-demographic characteristics in Korean adults

OBJECTIVES Previous studies have shown relatively low correlations between self-reported and accelerometer-assessed physical activity (PA). However, this association differs by socio-demographic factors, and this relationship has not been fully investigated in the general population. Thus, we investigated the correlation between self-reported and accelerometer-assessed PA and whether it differed by demographic and socioeconomic factors among the Korean general population. METHODS This cross-sectional study included 623 participants (203 men and 420 women) aged 30 to 64 years, who completed a PA questionnaire and wore a wrist-worn accelerometer on the non-dominant wrist for 7 days. We examined the agreement for metabolic equivalent task minutes per week (MET-min/wk) between the 2 measures and calculated Spearman correlation coefficients according to demographic and socioeconomic factors. RESULTS The kappa coefficient between tertiles of self-reported and accelerometer-assessed total MET-min/wk was 0.16 in the total population, suggesting overall poor agreement. The correlation coefficient between the 2 measurements was 0.26 (p<0.001) in the total population, and the correlation tended to decrease with increasing age (p for trend <0.001) and depression scores (p for trend <0.001). CONCLUSIONS We found a low correlation between self-reported and accelerometer-assessed PA among healthy Korean adults, and the correlation decreased with age and depression score. When studying PA using accelerometers and/or questionnaires, age and depression need to be considered, as should differences between self-reported and accelerometer-assessed PA

Active Pin1 is a key target of all-trans retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia and breast cancer

A common key regulator of oncogenic signaling pathways in multiple tumor types is the unique isomerase Pin1. However, available Pin1 inhibitors lack the required specificity and potency. Using mechanism-based screening, here we find that all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)--a therapy for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) that is considered the first example of targeted therapy in cancer, but its drug target remains elusive--inhibits and degrades active Pin1 selectively in cancer cells by directly binding to the substrate phosphate- and proline-binding pockets in the Pin1 active site. ATRA-induced Pin1 ablation degrades the fusion oncogene PML-RARα and treats APL in cell and animal models and human patients. ATRA-induced Pin1 ablation also inhibits triple negative breast cancer cell growth in human cells and in animal models by acting on many Pin1 substrate oncogenes and tumor suppressors. Thus, ATRA simultaneously blocks multiple Pin1-regulated cancer-driving pathways, an attractive property for treating aggressive and drug-resistant tumors

Indoor Air Quality Diagnosis Program for School Multi-Purpose Activity and Office Spaces

This study presents a simple indoor air quality diagnosis program for school office spaces, which are occupied for long durations by teachers, and indoor sports facilities, whose utilization has been on the rise in response to high concentrations of pollutants in outdoor air. The proposed program was made with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and Microsoft Excel. This program requires inputs which can be easily determined or measured even by nonexperts and can check the current status of indoor air quality such as CO2 and PM2.5 concentrations and predict the effect if changes are made. In addition, it is possible to diagnose indoor air quality before and after class and compare it with the initial plan so that if it exceeds the indoor air quality maintenance standard range, it can be improved by using a ventilation system and an air purifier. The development of the program was divided into four stages. First, prior research on the influencing factors was investigated. Second, influencing factors affecting the changes in PM2.5 and CO2 concentrations were selected by category to accommodate the various factors, and those selected as input were presented. Third, mass and concentration conservation equations were utilized to derive PM2.5 and CO2 concentration prediction equations according to activity and passage of time, and a VBA code was used for constructing the program. For verification of the developed program, the calculation results were compared with the measured data. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was 19.47% for PM2.5 concentration. In order to improve accuracy, Simulation 2, in which the wind speed and indoor/outdoor air pressure difference are corrected, is presented. The MAPE of PM2.5 concentration by the corrected Simulation 2 was lowered 5.15%

Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in obesity among Korean adolescents: the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBS) 2006 to 2020

OBJECTIVES This study investigated recent trends in the prevalence of obesity among Korean adolescents and explored socioeconomic disparities in obesity. METHODS This study used annual self-reported data on height, weight, and socioeconomic information from the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey from 2006 to 2020. With a 95.8% response rate, the sample consisted of 818,210 adolescents. Obesity prevalence was calculated according to 4 socioeconomic indicators (household income, father’s educational attainment, mother’s educational attainment, and urbanicity). Socioeconomic inequality was quantified using the relative index of inequality (RII). RESULTS The overall prevalence of obesity increased, doubling from 5.9% in 2006 to 11.7% in 2020. Boys and high school students showed a higher prevalence. The RIIs in household income and parental educational attainments significantly increased with time, indicating a growing inequality in obesity. Socioeconomic disadvantages had a greater influence on obesity among girls. The most recent RII values for boys were 1.25 for income, 1.79 for the father’s education, and 1.45 for the mother’s education, whereas the corresponding values for girls were 2.49, 3.17, and 2.62, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight growing inequalities in adolescent obesity according to household income and parental educational attainments, especially for girls and middle schoolers

Anti-thrombotic effects of arteanoflavone by regulating cyclic nucleotides and aggregation on human platelets

Abstract Excessive clotting or abnormal platelet accumulation can lead to serious cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis, stroke, and thrombosis. Therefore, it is imperative to identify compounds capable of controlling or impeding platelet aggregation to prevent the onset of cardiovascular diseases. Arteanoflavone, a compound extracted from Artemisia iwayomogi, has not garnered scientific recognition for its potential health benefits, recent studies have substantiated its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-allergic properties. However, the precise mechanisms by which arteanoflavone influences platelet aggregation and blood clot formation have not been conclusively established. This research investigates arteanoflavone’s role in these processes, particularly in platelets induced by collagen. The study reveals a significant increase in the production of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) correlating with the administered dosage of arteanoflavone. Concurrently, a noticeable escalation is observed in substrates of cAMP-dependent kinase and cGMP-dependent kinase, specifically VASP and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R). Arteanoflavone demonstrates its ability to limit Ca2+ movement in the dense tubular system through IP3R phosphorylation. Moreover, phosphorylated VASP inhibits the binding of fibrinogen to αIIb/β3, thus suppressing platelet activity. Arteanoflavone also stimulates the phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt, a protein linked to platelet granule release, and MAPK (ERK, JNK, and p38) protein, associated with both platelet granule release and TXA2 production. Lastly, arteanoflavone impedes collagen-induced platelet aggregation and blood clot formation by inhibiting fibrin production in thrombin-induced platelets. Hence, it is suggested that arteanoflavone could be valuable as an agent that effectively deters platelet inhibition and blood clot formation through antiplatelet mechanisms

Obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia in Korean adults before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: a special report of the 2020 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

OBJECTIVES We investigated trends in obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the Korean adult population. METHODS Data from 60,098 participants in the Korea National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey between 2011 and 2020 aged ≥19 were used. The age-standardized prevalence and annual percent changes (APCs) were calculated for obesity (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2), hypertension (systolic/diastolic blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg or under treatment), diabetes (hemoglobin A1c ≥6.5%, fasting glucose ≥126 mg/dL, physician diagnosis, or under treatment), and hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol ≥240 mg/dL or under treatment). RESULTS Over the past decade (2011-2020), the age-standardized APCs (95% confidence intervals) for obesity, hypertension, diabetes and hypercholesterolemia were 3.0% (2.1 to 3.8), 0.1% (-1.3 to 1.5), 1.5% (-1.0 to 4.0) and 8.0% (5.7 to 10.3), respectively, in men; and -0.2% (-1.5 to 1.2), -0.5% (-1.9 to 0.9), -0.1% (-2.3 to 2.2) and 5.9% (3.9 to 8.0), respectively, in women. In 2020 compared to the previous 3 years (2017-2019), obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia increased in men (6.0, 1.8, 1.9, and 2.8%p, respectively), but an increase was not apparent in women (2.5, -1.1, 0.8, and 0.7%p, respectively). CONCLUSIONS An increase in major chronic diseases was observed in Korean adults, especially men, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to reduce the burden of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in the future, effective intervention strategies need to be developed according to the characteristics of the target groups

Second nearest-neighbor modified embedded-atom method interatomic potentials for the Pd-M (M = Al, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Ti) binary systems

Palladium (Pd) has attracted attention as one of the major components of noble metal catalysts due to its excellent reactivity to a wide range of catalytic reactions. It is important to predict and control the atomic arrangement in catalysts because their properties are known to be affected by it. Therefore, to enable atomistic simulations for investigating the atomic scale structural evolution, we have developed interatomic potentials for Pd-M (M = Al, Co, Cu, Fe, Mo, Ni, Ti) binary systems based on the second nearest-neighbor modified embeddedatom method formalism. These potentials reproduce various fundamental properties of the alloys (the structural, elastic and thermodynamic properties of compound and solution phases, and order-disorder transition temperature) in reasonable agreements with experimental data, first-principles calculations and CALPHAD assessments. Herein, we propose that these potentials can be applied to the design of robust bimetallic catalysts by predicting the shape and atomic arrangement of Pd bimetallic nanoparticles.11Nsciescopu