β-Caryophyllene attenuates dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in mice via modulation of gene expression associated mainly with colon inflammation

AbstractWe examined the modulatory activity of β-caryophyllene (CA) and gene expression in colitic colon tissues in a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model. Experimental colitis was induced by exposing male BALB/c mice to 5% DSS in drinking water for 7 days. CA (30 or 300mg/kg) was administered orally once a day together with DSS. CA administration attenuated the increases in the disease activity index, colon weight/length ratio, inflammation score, and myeloperoxidase activity in DSS-treated mice. Microarray analysis showed that CA administration regulated the expression in colon tissue of inflammation-related genes including those for cytokines and chemokines (Ccl2, Ccl7, Ccl11, Ifitm3, IL-1β, IL-28, Tnfrsf1b, Tnfrsf12a); acute-phase proteins (S100a8, Saa3, Hp); adhesion molecules (Cd14, Cd55, Cd68, Mmp3, Mmp10, Sema6b, Sema7a, Anax13); and signal regulatory proteins induced by DSS. CA significantly suppressed NF-κB activity, which mediates the expression of a different set of genes. These results suggest that CA attenuates DSS-induced colitis, possibly by modulating the expression of genes associated mainly with colon inflammation through inhibition of DSS-induced NF-κB activity

Primary Polymorphous Low-Grade Adenocarcinoma of Lung Treated by Sleeve Bronchial Resection : A Case Report

We report a surgical case of primary polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma (PLGA) of the minor salivary gland-type of the lung. A PLGA originating from the right upper lobar bronchial inlet was successfully treated by sleeve right upper lobectomy. PLGAs are thought to be indolent tumors that are preferentially localized to the palate, and they affect the minor salivary glands almost exclusively. Until now, two cases of distant metastases to the lung have been reported in the English literature. To the best of our knowledge, only one case of PLGA of minor salivary gland-type of the lung without evidence of a previous oropharyngeal primary tumor has been reported in the English literature. But the case was not a single lesion; it was bilateral tumors accompanied by tumors of the cervical lymph nodes. We report here the first case of a single primary PLGA of the minor salivary gland-type of the lung, which was successfully treated by sleeve bronchial resection of right upper lobe

Efficacy and Tolerability of Peginterferon Alpha Plus Ribavirin in the Routine Daily Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis C Patients in Korea: A Multi-Center, Retrospective Observational Study

Background/Aims: We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of peginterferon plus ribavirin for chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients under real life setting in Korea. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 758 CHC patients treated with peginterferon plus ribavirin between 2000 and 2008 from 14 university hospitals in the Gyeonggi-Incheon area in Korea. Results: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 was detected in 61.2% of patients, while genotype 2 was detected in 35.5%. Baseline HCV RNA level was >= 6x10(5) IU/mL in 51.6% of patients. The sustained virological response (SVR) rate was 59.6% regardless of genotype; 53.6% in genotype 1 and 71.4% in genotype 2/3. On multivariate analysis, male gender (p=0.011), early virological response (p<0.001), genotype 2/3 (p<0.001), HCV RNA <6x10(5) IU/mL (p=0.005) and adherence to the drug >80% of the planned dose (p<0.001) were associated with SVR. The rate of premature discontinuation was 35.7%. The main reason for withdrawal was intolerance to the drug due to common adverse events or cytopenia (48.2%). Conclusions: Our data suggest that the efficacy of peginterferon and ribavirin therapy in Koreans is better in Koreans than in Caucasians for the treatment of CHC, corroborating previous studies that have shown the superior therapeutic efficacy of this regimen in Asians.This study was supported by the Korean Association for the Study of the Liver in 2009

Effect of Sex on Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Coronavirus Disease: A Population-Based Study

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the association between sex and clinical outcomes in patients with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) using a population-based dataset. Methods: In this retrospective study, insurance claims data from the Korea database were used. Patients who tested positive for COVID-19 were included in the study. All diseases were defined according to the International Classification of Diseases 10th revision. During follow-up, the clinical outcomes, except mortality, were assessed using the electrical codes from the dataset. The clinical outcomes noted were: hospitalization, the use of inotropics, high flow nasal cannula, conventional oxygen therapy, mechanical ventilation, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, development of acute kidney injury, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, acute heart failure, pulmonary embolism, and disseminated intravascular coagulation after the diagnosis of COVID-19. Results: A total of 7327 patients were included; of these, 2964 patients (40.5%) were men and 4363 patients (59.5%) were women. There were no significant differences in the Charlson comorbidity index score between men and women in the same age group. The incidence of mortality and clinical outcomes was higher among men than among women. The mortality rate was the highest for the populations aged 50–64 or ≥65 years. The subgroup analyses for age, diabetes mellitus, or hypertension showed favorable results for patient survival or clinical outcomes for women compared to men. Conclusion: Our population-based study showed that female patients with COVID-19 were associated with favorable outcomes. Furthermore, the impact of sex was more evident in patients aged 50–64 or ≥65 years

Association between periodontitis and cardiometabolic risk: Results from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2014.

BackgroundPeriodontitis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) share inflammation as common pathogenesis. Evaluating the association between periodontitis and CVD would be helpful to better understand the pathophysiology and various complications of periodontitis. We aimed to determine whether there is an independent relationship between periodontitis and various CVD risk indicators or prevalence.Patients and methodsOur study used representative data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Finally, data from 26,097 participants were used for analysis. Periodontitis was defined as a community periodontal index (CPI) ≥3. Participants were classified into 3 groups according to CPI score: Non-PO (participants without periodontitis, CPI score ResultsThe numbers of participants in Non-PO, NS-PO, and Severe PO groups were 17,237, 6,738, and 2,122, respectively. The proportions of participants with high FRS and/or prevalent CVD increased as the severity of periodontitis increased. In participants without prevalent CVD, the FRS according to severity of periodontitis increased in both univariate and multivariate analyses as the severity of periodontitis increased. Logistic regression showed that the odds ratio for metabolic syndrome increased as the severity of periodontitis increased on univariate analysis and that the presence of periodontitis was associated with a higher odds ratio for metabolic syndrome on multivariate analysis. Trends for prevalent CVD were similar to those of metabolic syndrome. For participants without prevalent CVD, the odds ratio for high FRS increased as the severity of periodontitis increased in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Subgroup analyses according to sex and age showed similar trends.ConclusionPeriodontitis was associated with CVD in the Korean population. Therefore, those with periodontitis, especially young adults with severe periodontitis, may be closely monitored for CVD

Association of Visceral Fat Area with Chronic Kidney Disease and Metabolic Syndrome Risk in the General Population: Analysis Using Multi-Frequency Bioimpedance

Background/Aims: Advances in bioimpedance analysis (BIA) technologies now enable visceral fat area (VFA) to be assessed using this method. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical relevance and usefulness of VFA as a predictor of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and metabolic syndrome (MS), using BIA. Methods: We identified 24,791 adults who underwent voluntary routine health checkups at Yeungnam University Hospital. In total 22,480 patients were recruited into our study. Participants were divided into 3 tertiles based on their VFA: low, middle, and high tertiles. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 2. Results: The higher tertile of VFA was associated with a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and male sex. Waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index, blood pressure, lean mass, body fat %, and fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, GGT, AST, ALT, and uric acid levels all increased as the VFA tertile increased (P P P Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the VFA, measured by BIA, is a simple method for predicting the risk of CKD and MS

Limb/trunk lean mass ratio as a risk factor for mortality in peritoneal dialysis patients

Protein energy wasting (PEW) is a common problem in dialysis patients. There have been few reports on the effects of regional lean mass distribution for peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We reviewed the medical records and identified all adults who received PD between May 2001 and May 2011. Five hundred thirty four patients were enrolled. The clinical and laboratory data were collected at 1 and 12 months. Regional lean masses were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. The limb/trunk lean mass ratio (LTLM) was defined as a value on dividing the sum of four limbs by the trunk lean mass. The mean age at the start of PD was 53.2±14.1 years. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was most common underlying disease of end-stage renal disease (49.6%). In males, the low LTLM tertile was associated with low body mass index, creatinine, arm muscle circumference, and high C-reactive protein. In females, the low LTLM tertile was associated with low creatinine and normalized protein equivalent of nitrogen appearance. On both univariate and multivariate analysis adjusted for age, Davies risk index, and residual renal function, initial low LTLM tertile and maintenance of low LTLM were associated with mortality in PD patients. Distribution or change of regional lean mass may be more useful for predicting nutritional status. Initial low LTLM and maintenance of low LTLM were associated with mortality in PD patients. LTLM as a new marker would be useful for predicting the nutritional status and the mortality in patients on PD

Clinical Significance of the Edema Index in Incident Peritoneal Dialysis Patients.

BACKGROUND:Proper monitoring for volume overload is important to improve prognosis in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. The association between volume status and residual renal function (RRF) remains an unresolved issue. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the association between the edema index and survival or RRF in incident PD patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS:We identified all adults who underwent PD. The edema index was defined as the ratio of extracellular fluid to total body fluid. Participants with available data regarding survivorship or non-survivorship during the first year after PD initiation were included in the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The cutoff value of the edema index for 1-year mortality was >0.371 in men and >0.372 in women. Participants were divided into two groups according to the cutoff value of their baseline edema indices: High (>cutoff value) and Low (≤ cutoff value). Survivors during the first year after PD initiation were divided into two groups according to the initial and 1-year edema index: Non-improvement (maintenance of criteria in the initial Low group during the year) and Other (all participants except those in the Non-improvement group). RESULTS:In total, 631 patients were enrolled in the present study. The cutoff value of the edema index for 1-year mortality was >0.371 in men and >0.372 in women. The respective mean initial RRF values (mL · min(-1) · 1.73 m(-2)) in the Low and High groups, respectively, were 4.88 ± 4.09 and 4.21 ± 3.28 in men (P = 0.108), and 3.19 ± 2.57 and 2.98 ± 2.70 in women (P = 0.531). There were no significant differences between groups in either sex. The respective mean RRF values at 1 year after PD initiation in the Low and High groups, respectively, were 3.56 ± 4.35 and 2.73 ± 2.53 in men, and 2.80 ± 2.36 and 1.85 ± 1.51 in women. RRF at 1 year after PD initiation was higher in the Low group than in the High group (men: P = 0.027; women: P = 0.001). In men, the cumulative 5-year survival rates were 78.7% and 46.2% in the Low and High groups, respectively, whereas in women, rates were 77.2% and 58.8% in the Low and High groups, respectively. For survivors during the first year after PD initiation, the Non-improvement group was associated with a poor survival rate compared with the Other group for both sexes. CONCLUSION:A high edema index was associated with mortality in incident PD patients at baseline and follow-up. The edema index may be used as a new marker for predicting mortality in PD patients