Characterisation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa related to bovine mastitis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the causative pathogens of bovine mastitis. Most P. aeruginosa strains possess the type III secretion system (TTSS), which may increase somatic cell counts (SCCs) in milk from mastitis-affected cows. Moreover, most of P. aeruginosa cells can form biofilms, thereby reducing antibiotic efficacy. In this study, the presence and effect of TTSS-related genotypes on increase of SCCs among 122 P. aeruginosa isolates obtained from raw milk samples from mastitis-affected cows and their antibiotic susceptibility at planktonic and biofilm status were investigated. Based on the presence of TTSS-related genes a total of 82.7% of the isolates were found to harbour exoU and/or exoS genes, including the invasive (exoU-/exoS+, 69.4%), cytotoxic (exoU+/exoS-, 8.3%) and cytotoxic/invasive strains (exoU+/ exoS+, 5.0%). Milk containing exoS-positive isolates had higher SCCs than those containing exoS-negative isolates. The majority of isolates showed gentamicin, amikacin, meropenem and ciprofloxacin susceptibility at planktonic status. However, the susceptibility was decreased at the biofilm status. Based on minimum biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC)/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ratios, the range of change in antibiotic susceptibility varied widely depending on the antibiotics (from ≥ 3.1-fold to ≥ 475.0-fold). In conclusion, most P. aeruginosa isolates studied here had a genotype related to increase in SCCs. The efficiency of antibiotic therapy against P. aeruginosa-related bovine mastitis could be improved by analysing both the MBEC and the MIC of isolates

In-Plane Strengthening of Unreinforced Masonry Walls by Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polyurea

Strengthening techniques have been employed in Korea to unreinforced masonry walls (UMWs) for several years to protect them from damage caused by the intermittent occurrence of earthquakes. Polyurea, which has a high tensile strength and elongation rate, can be utilized as a strengthening material to enhance the in-plane strength and ductility of UMWs. Glass fiber-reinforced polyurea (GFRPU) is a composite elastomer manufactured by progressively adding milled glass fiber to polyurea. The purpose of this study is to investigate the enhancement of the in-plane strength and ductility of UMWs using GFRPU, depending on the shape of the GFRPU coating on the wall. Four masonry wall specimens are tested with test variables of the number of strengthening sides and coating shapes. It is illustrated that the GFRPU reinforcement of masonry wall leads to enhanced load-carrying capacity, ductility, and energy absorption. An empirical formula to represent the degree of strengthening effected by GFRPU is proposed in this study. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091782 Full Text: PD

Out-of-Plane Strengthening of Unreinforced Masonry Walls by Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polyurea

Fiber-reinforced polymer reinforcement or polyurea reinforcement techniques are applied to strengthen unreinforced masonry walls (UMWs). The purpose of this experimental study is to verify the out-of-plane reinforcing effect of sprayed glass fiber-reinforced polyurea (GFRPU), which is a composite elastomer made of polyurea and milled glass fibers on UMW. The out-of-plane strengths and ductile behaviors based on various coating shapes are compared in this study. An empirical formula to describe the degree of reinforcement on the out-of-plane strength of the UMW is derived based on the experimental results. It is observed that the peak load-carrying capacity, ductility, and energy absorption capacity gradually improve with an increase in the strengthening degree or area. Compared with the existing masonry wall reinforcement method, the GFRPU technique is a construction method that can help improve the safety performance along with ease of construction and economic efficiency. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2022-08-01-011 Full Text: PD

Interaction of testisin with maspin and its impact on invasion and cell death resistance of cervical cancer cells

AbstractPrevious studies have shown that testisin promotes malignant transformation in cancer cells. To define the mechanism of testisin-induced carcinogenesis, we performed yeast two-hybrid analysis and identified maspin, a tumor suppressor protein, as a testisin-interacting molecule. The direct interaction and cytoplasmic co-localization of testisin with maspin was confirmed by immunoprecipitation and confocal analysis, respectively. In cervical cancer cells, maspin modulated cell death and invasion; however, these effects were inhibited by testisin in parallel experiments. Of interest, the doxorubicin resistance was dramatically reduced by testisin knockdown (P=0.016). Moreover, testisin was found to be over-expressed in cervical cancer samples as compared to matched normal cervical tissues. Thus, we postulate that testisin may promote carcinogenesis by inhibiting tumor suppressor activity of maspin.Structured summaryMINT-7712215, MINT-7712176: Testisin (uniprotkb:Q9Y6M0) binds (MI:0407) to Maspin (uniprotkb:P36952) by pull down (MI:0096)MINT-7712188: Testisin (uniprotkb:Q9Y6M0) and Maspin (uniprotkb:P36952) colocalize (MI:0403) by fluorescence microscopy (MI:0416)MINT-7712115: Testisin (uniprotkb:Q9Y6M0) physically interacts (MI:0915) with Maspin (uniprotkb:P36952) by two-hybrid (MI:0018)MINT-7712162, MINT-7712128: Maspin (uniprotkb:P36952) physically interacts (MI:0915) with Testisin (uniprotkb:Q9Y6M0) by anti bait co-immunoprecipitation (MI:0006)MINT-7712147: Testisin (uniprotkb:Q9Y6M0) physically interacts (MI:0915) with Maspin (uniprotkb:P36952) by anti tag co-immunoprecipitation (MI:0007

Overexpression of USF increases TGF-beta1 protein levels, but G1 phase arrest was not induced in FRTL-5 cells

Transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) is a potent inhibitor of cellular growth and proliferation by G1 phase arrest or apoptosis. We investigated the association of TGF-beta1 with the anti-proliferative effect of upstream stimulatory factor (USF) in Fischer rat thyroid cell line (FRTL-5) cells. [methyl-(3)H] thymidine uptake was measured after treatment of FRTL-5 cells with TGF-beta1 to identify its anti-proliferative effect. USF-1 and USF-2 proteins were in vitro translated, and an electrophoretic mobility shift assay was performed to identify the interaction between USF and the TGF-beta1 promoter. FRTL-5 cells were transfected with USF cDNA, and then the expression of TGF-beta1 was examined with Northern and Western blotting. The cell cycle-regulating proteins associated with TGF-beta1 were also measured. TGF-beta1 significantly inhibited [methyl-(3)H] thymidine uptake in FRTL-5 cells. Two specific binding sites for USF were found in the TGF-beta1 promoter: -1,846 approximately -1,841 (CACATG) and -621 approximately -616 (CATGTG). Overexpression of USF increased both the mRNA levels and protein levels of TGF-beta1. However, the expression of cyclin D1, CDK4, cyclin E, and CDK2, and the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein remained unchanged. Overexpression of USF in FRTL-5 cells increased the expression of TGF-beta10 through specific binding to TGF-beta1 promoter. However, the USF-induced expression of TGF-beta1 did not cause G1 arrest

Korean National Health Insurance Value Incentive Program: Achievements and Future Directions

Since the reformation of the National Health Insurance Act in 2000, the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) in the Republic of Korea has performed quality assessments for healthcare providers. The HIRA Value Incentive Program (VIP), established in July 2007, provides incentives for excellent-quality institutions and disincentives for poor-quality ones. The program is implemented based on data collected between July 2007 and December 2009. The goal of the VIP is to improve the overall quality of care and decrease the quality gaps among healthcare institutions. Thus far, the VIP has targeted acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and Caesarian section (C-section) care. The incentives and disincentives awarded to the hospitals by their composite quality scores of the AMI and C-section scores. The results of the VIP showed continuous and marked improvement in the composite quality scores of the AMI and C-section measures between 2007 and 2010. With the demonstrated success of the VIP project, the Ministry of Health and Welfare expanded the program in 2011 to include general hospitals. The HIRA VIP was deemed applicable to the Korean healthcare system, but before it can be expanded further, the program must overcome several major concerns, as follows: inclusion of resource use measures, rigorous evaluation of impact, application of the VIP to the changing payment system, and expansion of the VIP to primary care clinics

A Survey of Diabetic Educators and Patients for the Revision of Korean Food Exchange Lists

BackgroundFood exchange lists are one of the main methods of nutritional education. However, Korean food exchange lists have not been revised since 1994. Therefore, we surveyed the opinions of diabetes educators and patients with diabetes regarding the need for revision of the current food exchange lists.MethodsFor two weeks beginning on 10 March 2008, a 12-item questionnaire regarding the opinion and need for revision of the current food exchange lists was e-mailed to diabetes educators nationwide. Another 15-question survey was administered to patients with diabetes in 13 hospitals located in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions of Korea.ResultsWe obtained survey responses from 101 diabetes educators and 209 patients; 65 (64.3%) of the educators answered that the current food exchange lists should be revised. The items that needed revision were the glycemic index, addition of new foods and reaffirmation of exchange standard amounts. The patients demanded specific education about choosing appropriate foods, a balanced meal plan, proper snacks, and dining intake.ConclusionOur survey results demonstrate the need to revise the Korean food exchange lists. This process should focus on glycemic index, the addition of new foods and reconfirmation of one exchange reference unit

Comparisons of Pediatric Patients who Visited to the Pediatric Emergency Department and the General Emergency Department

Purpose In 2010 and 2011, the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare designated 2 and 4 Pediatric Emergency Centers, respectively. This study was conducted to examine the characteristics of pediatric patients who visited the pediatric emergency department (PED) compared with the general emergency department (GED). Methods We used the National Emergency Medical Department Information System (NEDIS) data on pediatric visits (<19 years old), from July 1 to December 31, 2011. We analyzed patients' general characteristics, number, severity, and length of stay (LOS). Results A total of 709,050 children visited 132 GEDs and 6 PEDs during the study period. Male patients of PED was 57.6%, and the mean age of PED was younger than GED (4.7±5.0 yr vs. 5.7±5.5 yr). There were more numbers of patient visitations per center, number of critically ill or injured patients per center, number of admitted patients per center, and the number of operation per center in PED than GED. LOS of overall, discharged, and transferred patients was the same between PED and GED; however, LOS of admitted patients was longer in PED. Conclusion We observed that PEDs did not function as a tertiary referral center. Further research is needed to find the reason for such phenomenon and provide possible solutions

A cost-effectiveness study of universal screening for hepatitis C virus infection in South Korea: A societal perspective

Background/Aims: This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening compared to no screening in the Korean population from societal and healthcare system perspectives. Methods: A published decision-tree plus Markov model was used to compare the expected costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) between one-time universal HCV screening and no screening in the population aged 40-65 years using the National Health Examination (NHE) program. Input parameters were obtained from analyses of the National Health Insurance claims data, Korean HCV cohort data, or from the literature review. The population aged 40-65 years was simulated in a model spanning a lifetime from both the healthcare system and societal perspectives, which included the cost of productivity loss due to HCV-related deaths. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) between universal screening and no screening was estimated. Results: The HCV screening strategy had an ICER of $2,666/QALY and$431/QALY from the healthcare system and societal perspectives, respectively. Both ICERs were far less than the willingness-to-pay threshold of $25,000/QALY, showing that universal screening was highly cost-effective compared to no screening. In various sensitivity analyses, the most influential parameters on cost-effectiveness were the antibodies to HCV (anti-HCV) prevalence, screening costs, and treatment acceptance; however, all ICERs were consistently less than the threshold. If the anti-HCV prevalence was over 0.18%, screening could be cost-effective. Conclusions: One-time universal HCV screening in the Korean population aged 40-65 years using NHE program would be highly cost-effective from both healthcare system and societal perspectives.Y

Redirecting an Anticancer to an Antibacterial Hit Against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

YM155 is a clinically evaluated anticancer with a fused naphthoquinone-imidazolium scaffold. In this study, we demonstrated that based on weak or cryptic antibacterial activity of YM155 against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (MIC of 50 μg/ml), some congeneric compounds with short alkyl chains (e.g., c5 with a hexyl chain) at the N3 position of the scaffold, displayed more potent antibacterial activity against MRSA (MIC of 3.13 μg/ml), which is in a clinically achievable range. Their antibacterial activity was evident against Gram-negative bacteria, only in the presence of the outer membrane-permeabilizing agent, polymyxin B. The antibacterial efficacy of c5 was confirmed using the Drosophila systemic infection model. We also characterized five spontaneous c5-resistant MRSA mutants that carry mutations in the ubiE gene, for quinone metabolism and respiratory electron transfer, and subsequently exhibited reduced respiration activity. The antibacterial activity of c5 was compromised either by an antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine, or in an anaerobic condition. These suggest that the antibacterial mechanism of c5 involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), presumably during respiratory electron transport. This study provides an insight into “drug redirecting,” through a chemical modification, based on an ROS-generating pharmacophore