Energy drink consumption among Korean adolescents: prevalence and associated factors.

Background: Energy drinks are gaining popularity among young people worldwide. However, little is known about their consumption among Korean adolescents.

Purpose: To examine the prevalence and factors associated with energy drink consumption among Korean adolescents.

Pirfenidone Alleviates Inflammation and Fibrosis of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome by Modulating the Transforming Growth Factor-β/Smad Signaling Pathway.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) occurs as an acute onset condition, and patients present with diffuse alveolar damage, refractory hypoxemia, and non-cardiac pulmonary edema. ARDS progresses through an initial exudative phase, an inflammatory phase, and a final fibrotic phase. Pirfenidone, a powerful anti-fibrotic agent, is known as an agent that inhibits the progression of fibrosis in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Multicolor Two-Photon Microscopy Imaging of Lipid Droplets and Liver Capsule Macrophages In Vivo.

Lipid droplets (LDs) store energy and supply fatty acids and cholesterol. LDs are a hallmark of chronic nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Recently, studies have focused on the role of hepatic macrophages in NAFLD.

Stepwise differentiation of follicular helper T cells reveals distinct developmental and functional states.

Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells are essential for the formation of high affinity antibodies after vaccination or infection. Although the signals responsible for initiating Tfh differentiation from naïve T cells have been studied, the signals controlling sequential developmental stages culminating in optimal effector function are not well understood. Here we use fate mapping strategies for the cytokine IL-21 to uncover sequential developmental stages of Tfh differentiation including a progenitor-like stage, a fully developed effector stage and a post-effector Tfh stage that maintains transcriptional and epigenetic features without IL-21 production.

IL-21-producing effector Tfh cells promote B cell alloimmunity in lymph nodes and kidney allografts.

Follicular helper T (Tfh) cells have been implicated in controlling rejection after allogeneic kidney transplantation, but the precise subsets, origins, and functions of Tfh cells in this process have not been fully characterized. Here we show that a subset of effector Tfh cells marked by previous IL-21 production is potently induced during allogeneic kidney transplantation and is inhibited by immunosuppressive agents. Single-cell RNA-Seq revealed that these lymph node (LN) effector Tfh cells have transcriptional and clonal overlap with IL-21-producing kidney-infiltrating Tfh cells, implicating common origins and developmental trajectories.

Simultaneous Imaging of Plasma Membrane and Lipid Droplets in Hepatic Steatosis using Red-Emissive Two-Photon Probes.

The plasma membrane, which is a phosphoglyceride bilayer at the outer edge of the cell, plays diverse and important roles in biological systems. Visualization of the plasma membrane in live samples is important for various applications in biological functions. We developed an amphiphilic two-photon (TP) fluorescent probe () to selectively monitor the plasma membrane in live samples.

Hypercompact adenine base editors based on transposase B guided by engineered RNA.

Transposon-associated transposase B (TnpB) is deemed an ancestral protein for type V, Cas12 family members, and the closest ancestor to UnCas12f1. Previously, we reported a set of engineered guide RNAs supporting high indel efficiency for Cas12f1 in human cells. Here we suggest a new technology whereby the engineered guide RNAs also manifest high-efficiency programmable endonuclease activity for TnpB.

The Chimeric Adenovirus (Ad5/35) Expressing Engineered Spike Protein Confers Immunity against SARS-CoV-2 in Mice and Non-Human Primates.

Several COVID-19 platforms have been licensed across the world thus far, but vaccine platform research that can lead to effective antigen delivery is still ongoing. Here, we constructed AdCLD-CoV19 that could modulate humoral immunity by harboring SARS-CoV-2 antigens onto a chimeric adenovirus 5/35 platform that was effective in cellular immunity. By replacing the S1/S2 furin cleavage sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein mounted on AdCLD-CoV19 with the linker sequence, high antigen expression was confirmed in various cell lines.

Efficient CRISPR editing with a hypercompact Cas12f1 and engineered guide RNAs delivered by adeno-associated virus.

Gene therapy would benefit from a miniature CRISPR system that fits into the small adeno-associated virus (AAV) genome and has high cleavage activity and specificity in eukaryotic cells. One of the most compact CRISPR-associated nucleases yet discovered is the archaeal Un1Cas12f1. However, Un1Cas12f1 and its variants have very low activity in eukaryotic cells.

Inhibition of topoisomerase I shapes antitumor immunity through the induction of monocyte-derived dendritic cells.

Understanding the rationale of combining immunotherapy and other anticancer treatment modalities is of great interest because of interpatient variability in single-agent immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrated that topoisomerase I inhibitors, a class of chemotherapeutic drugs, can alter the tumor immune landscape, corroborating their antitumor effects combined with immunotherapy. We observed that topotecan-conditioned TC-1 tumors were occupied by a vast number of monocytic cells that highly express CD11c, CD64, and costimulatory molecules responsible for the favorable changes in the tumor microenvironment.

Clinical application of next-generation sequencing for the management of desmoid tumors: A case report and literature review.

Rationale: Desmoid tumors are rare myofibroblastic neoplasms characterized by local invasiveness and high rates of recurrence, and sometimes mimic local recurrence of previously resected malignancies. Previous studies have suggested that molecular profiling may be useful for the diagnosis of the tumors and risk stratification. However, the clinical utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) for the management of desmoid tumors has not been established.

Highly efficient and safe genome editing by CRISPR-Cas12a using CRISPR RNA with a ribosyl-2'-O-methylated uridinylate-rich 3'-overhang in mouse zygotes.

The CRISPR-Cas12a system has been developed to harness highly specific genome editing in eukaryotic cells. Given the relatively small sizes of Cas12a genes, the system has been suggested to be most applicable to gene therapy using AAV vector delivery. Previously, we reported that a U-rich crRNA enabled highly efficient genome editing by the CRISPR-Cas12a system in eukaryotic cells.

Predictive factors for early clinical response in community-onset urinary tract infection and effects of initial antibiotic treatment on early clinical response.

Background: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common disease. It often requires hospitalization, and severe presentations, including sepsis and other complications, have a mortality rate of 6.7%-8.

Diagnostic and Predictive Values of F-FDG PET/CT Metabolic Parameters in -Mutated Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: The clinical implications of the metabolic parameters of F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) in epidermal growth factor receptor (-mutated lung cancer are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic utility of the parameters in -mutated lung cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 134 patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma (72 -negative and 62 positive).

Enhanced Immunogenicity of Engineered HER2 Antigens Potentiates Antitumor Immune Responses.

For cancer vaccines, the selection of optimal tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) that can maximize the immunogenicity of the vaccine without causing unwanted adverse effects is challenging. In this study, we developed two engineered Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) antigens, K965 and K1117, and compared their immunogenicity to a previously reported truncated HER2 antigen, K684, within a B cell and monocyte-based vaccine (BVAC). We found that BVAC-K965 and BVAC-K1117 induced comparable antigen-specific antibody responses and antigen-specific T cell responses to BVAC-K684.

GITR Agonism Triggers Antitumor Immune Responses through IL21-Expressing Follicular Helper T Cells.

Although treatment with the glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor-related protein (GITR) agonistic antibody (DTA-1) has shown antitumor activity in various tumor models, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that interleukin (IL)-21-producing follicular helper T (Tfh) cells play a crucial role in DTA-1-induced tumor inhibition. The administration of DTA-1 increased IL21 expression by Tfh cells in an antigen-specific manner, and this activation led to enhanced antitumor cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity.

Differentiation of c-Kit CD24 natural killer cells into myeloid cells in a GATA-2-dependent manner.

Myeloid progenitor cells have generally been considered the predominant source of myeloid cells under steady-state conditions. Here we show that NK cells contributed to a myeloid cell lineage pool in naïve and tumor-bearing mice. Using fate tracing of NKp46 cells, we found that myeloid cells could be derived from NK cells.

Risk Factors for Postoperative Recurrence in Korean Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Background/aims: A considerable number of patients with Crohn's disease still need intestinal resection surgery. Postoperative recurrence is an important issue in Crohn's disease management, including the selection of high-risk patients. Eastern Asian patients showed several differences from Caucasian patients.

Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells Dictate the Memory Differentiation of CD8 T Cells During Acute Infection.

Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) have been shown to robustly expand during infection; however, their roles in anti-infectious immunity remain unclear. Here, we found that moDCs were dramatically increased in the secondary lymphoid organs during acute LCMV infection in an interferon-γ (IFN-γ)-dependent manner. We also found that priming by moDCs enhanced the differentiation of memory CD8 T cells compared to differentiation primed by conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) through upregulation of Eomesodermin (Eomes) and T cell factor-1 (TCF-1) expression in CD8 T cells.

Change in the Annual Antibiotic Susceptibility of in Community-Onset Urinary Tract Infection between 2008 and 2017 in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Korea.

The susceptibility of from community onset urinary tract infection (UTI) was evaluated by dividing community onset UTI into the simple community acquired-UTI (CA-UTI) and healthcare associated UTI (HCA-UTI) groups for a period of 10 years. The susceptibility of to most antibiotics, except amikacin and imipenem, continued to decrease. In the CA-UTI group, the susceptibility to cefotaxime was 88% in 2015, but rapidly decreased to 79.

Highly efficient genome editing by CRISPR-Cpf1 using CRISPR RNA with a uridinylate-rich 3'-overhang.

Genome editing has been harnessed through the development of CRISPR system, and the CRISPR from Prevotella and Francisella 1 (Cpf1) system has emerged as a promising alternative to CRISPR-Cas9 for use in various circumstances. Despite the inherent multiple advantages of Cpf1 over Cas9, the adoption of Cpf1 has been unsatisfactory because of target-dependent insufficient indel efficiencies. Here, we report an engineered CRISPR RNA (crRNA) for highly efficient genome editing by Cpf1, which includes a 20-base target-complementary sequence and a uridinylate-rich 3'-overhang.

Association between skeletal muscle mass and cardiorespiratory fitness in community-dwelling elderly men.

Background: Sarcopenia reduces physical ability and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), leading to poor quality of life.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between skeletal muscle mass and CRF in elderly men.

Methods: We assessed 102 community-dwelling men over 60 years old.