Association of Antibiotic Use during the First 6 Months of Life with Body Mass of Children

In this study, our objective was to assess the association of body mass in preschool children with the use of antibiotics within 6 months after birth. National administrative databases were used to examine all children born between 2008 and 2009 in Korea. Exposure was defined as the use of systemic antibiotics during the first 6 months of age. The observed outcomes were stunting (height for age [HFA] z score < −2.0), short stature (HFA z score < −1.64), overweight (body mass index [BMI] for age z score ≥ 1.04), and obesity (BMI for age z score ≥ 1.64), and the children’s height and body weight were measured from three to six years of age. To balance characteristics between the antibiotic user and non-user groups, propensity score matching was performed. The outcomes were evaluated using a generalized estimation equation with the logit link function. Analysis of antibiotic use by children during the first 6 months of life indicated there were 203,073 users (54.9%) and 166,505 non-users (45.1%). After PS matching, there were 72,983 antibiotic users and 72,983 non-users. Antibiotic use was significantly associated with stunting (aOR = 1.198, 95% CI = 1.056 to 1.360) and short stature (aOR = 1.043, 95% CI = 1.004 to 1.083), and had significant negative association with HFA z score (weighted β = −0.023). The use of an antibiotic for 14 days or more had a marked association with stunting. Antibiotic use was also associated with overweight, obesity, and increased BMI for age z score. Antibiotic use during the first 6 months of life increased the risk of stunting, short stature, overweight, and obesity in preschool children

Engineered Mesenchymal Stem Cells Expressing Stromal Cell-derived Factor-1 Improve Erectile Dysfunction in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Effective therapies for erectile dysfunction (ED) associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) are needed. In this study, the effects of stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)-expressing engineered mesenchymal stem cells (SDF-1 eMSCs) and the relevant mechanisms in the corpus cavernosum of a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DM ED rat model were evaluated. In a randomized controlled trial, Sprague&#8315;Dawley (SD) rats (n = 48) were divided into four groups (n = 12/group): Normal (control), DM ED (diabetes induced by STZ), DM ED + BM-MSC (treated with bone marrow [BM]-derived MSCs), and DM ED + SDF-1 eMSC (treated with SDF-1-expressing BM-MSCs). After four weeks, intracavernosal pressure (ICP), an indicator of erectile function, was 0.75 &#177; 0.07 in the normal group, 0.27 &#177; 0.08 in the DM ED group, 0.42 &#177; 0.11 in the DM ED + BM-MSC group, and 0.58 &#177; 0.11 in the DM ED + SDF-1 eMSC group. BM-MSCs, especially SDF-1 eMSCs, improved ED (p &lt; 0.05). SDF-1 eMSC treatment improved the smooth muscle content in the corpus cavernosum (p &lt; 0.05). As SDF-1 expression increased, ED recovery improved. In the SDF-1 eMSC group, levels of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and phosphorylated endothelial NOS (p-eNOS) were higher than those in other groups (p &lt; 0.05). In addition, high stromal cell-derived factor-1 (SDF-1) expression was associated with increased vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in DM ED rats (p &lt; 0.05). Higher levels of phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT)/protein kinase B (AKT) (p &lt; 0.05) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and lower levels of the apoptosis factors Bcl2-associated x (Bax) and caspase-3 were observed in the MSC-treated group than in the DM ED group (p &lt; 0.05). SDF-1 eMSCs showed beneficial effects on recovery from erectile function