Lactobacillus gasseri BNR17 and Limosilactobacillus fermentum ABF21069 Ameliorate High Sucrose-Induced Obesity and Fatty Liver via Exopolysaccharide Production and β-oxidation.

Obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) are prevalent metabolic disorders with substantial global health implications that are often inadequately addressed by current treatments and may have side effects. Probiotics have emerged as promising therapeutic agents owing to their beneficial effects on gut health and metabolism. This study investigated the synergistic effects of a probiotic combination of BNR17 and ABF21069 on obesity and MAFLD in C57BL/6 mice fed a high-sucrose diet.

Inhibitory effect of fucoidan on TNF-α-induced inflammation in human retinal pigment epithelium cells.

() is a brown seaweed that contains a fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharide called fucoidan and is known to possess beneficial bioactivities, such as anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidative, and antitumoral effects. This study aimed to determine the anti-inflammatory effects of AB_SH (hydrothermal extracts from ) and its bioactive compound (fucoidan) against tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced inflammation in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. AB_SH did not exhibit any cytotoxicity, and it decreased the mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 and the production of the cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α.

Seroprevalence of Varicella-Zoster Virus and Measles among Healthcare Workers in a Tertiary Medical Center in Korea.

Measles and varicella still occur in the general population despite the widespread vaccination against them, and healthcare workers (HCWs) are still at risk of exposure to these diseases. Here, we evaluated the seroprevalence of measles and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in HCWs and the trend of seroprevalence according to age, birth year, and occupational group. The serostatuses of measles and VZV of HCWs during new employee medical examinations between October 2015 and October 2021 were included.

Metatranscriptomic and metataxonomic insights into the ultra-small microbiome of the Korean fermented vegetable, kimchi.

Presently, pertinent information on the ultra-small microbiome (USM) in fermented vegetables is still lacking. This study analyzed the metatranscriptome and metataxonome for the USM of kimchi. Tangential flow filtration was used to obtain a USM with a size of 0.

Host phylogeny, habitat, and diet are main drivers of the cephalopod and mollusk gut microbiome.

Background: Invertebrates are a very attractive subject for studying host-microbe interactions because of their simple gut microbial community and host diversity. Studying the composition of invertebrate gut microbiota and the determining factors is essential for understanding their symbiotic mechanism. Cephalopods are invertebrates that have similar biological properties to vertebrates such as closed circulation system, an advanced nervous system, and a well-differentiated digestive system.

Correlation between antibiotic consumption and the incidence of healthcare facility-onset Clostridioides difficile infection: a retrospective chart review and analysis.

Background: Healthcare facility-onset Clostridioides difficile infection is the leading cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and is associated with morbidity and mortality. The use of antibiotics is an important risk factor for healthcare facility-onset C. difficile infection.

Risk factors for isolation of multi-drug resistant organisms in coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia: A multicenter study.

Objectives: Superimposed multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs) co-infection can be associated with worse outcomes in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), even if these patients were managed with strict airborne and contact precautions. Identifying risk factors for isolation of MDROs is critical to COVID-19 treatment.

Methods: All eligible adult patients with confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia from 10 hospitals in the Republic of Korea between February 2020 and May 2020 were retrospectively enrolled.

sp. nov., isolated from the intestine of the dark diving beetle , and sp. nov., isolated from the intestine of the diving beetle .

A polyphasic taxonomic approach was used to characterize two novel bacterial strains, designated as HDW11 and HDW19, isolated from intestine samples of the dark diving beetle and the diving beetle , respectively. Both isolates were Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic and non-motile. Strain HDW11 grew optimally at 30 °C, pH 8 and in the presence of 1% (w/v) NaCl.

Leucobacter coleopterorum sp. nov., Leucobacter insecticola sp. nov., and Leucobacter viscericola sp. nov., isolated from the intestine of the diving beetles, Cybister brevis and Cybister lewisianus, and emended description of the genus Leucobacter.

Three novel bacterial strains, HDW9A, HDW9B, and HDW9C, isolated from the intestine of the diving beetles Cybister lewisianus and Cybister brevis, were characterized as three novel species using a polyphasic approach. The isolates were Gram-staining-positive, strictly aerobic, non-motile, and rod-shaped. They grew optimally at 30°C (pH 7) in the presence of 0.

sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of the oriental stork, .

A novel Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming, coccobacillus-shaped, strictly aerobic bacterium, designated strain H23T48, was isolated from the faecal sample of an oriental stork collected from the Seoul Grand Park Zoo in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Optimal growth of strain H23T48 was observed at 30-37 °C, pH 8 and with 3 % (w/v) NaCl. 16S rRNA gene sequence-based phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain H23T48 was closely related to the genus , with 97.

Two-Ply Carbon Nanotube Fiber-Typed Enzymatic Biofuel Cell Implanted in Mice.

Implantable devices have emerged as a promising industry. It is inevitable that these devices will require a power source to operate in vivo. Thus, to power implantable medical devices, biofuel cells (BFCs) that generate electricity using glucose without an external power supply have been considered.

sp. nov., isolated from the faeces of an Oriental stork.

A novel, Gram-stain-positive, non-spore-forming, facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated strain H21T32, was isolated from the faeces of an Oriental stork, . Cells formed cocci grouped in pairs, tetrads or conglomerates, and colonies on solid medium were pale yellow. Strain H21T32 belonged to the genus , family , order and class .

sp. nov., isolated from the intestinal tract of a Korean indigenous freshwater fish, .

A novel Gram-negative, obligately aerobic, rod-shaped and non-motile bacterium, designated strain K13M18, was isolated from the intestinal tract of a Korean indigenous fish, oily bitterling (). Strain K13M18 formed creamy-pink colonies on a marine agar plate. Results of phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity indicated that strain K13M18 was most closely related to DRYC-M-16, sharing 97.

Comparison of chest radiographic findings between severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and scrub typhus: Single center observational cross-sectional study in South Korea.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging infectious disease caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV) which involves multiple organ systems, including lungs. However, there is limited data on lung involvement of SFTS. Therefore, the present study investigated the chest radiographic findings of SFTS, including computed tomography (CT), and compared these with those of scrub typhus, which is the most common tick-borne illness in South Korea and share risk factors and occur in similar settings.

sp. nov., isolated from the gut of the Korean scallop, .

A novel Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped, reddish-orange-coloured, gliding bacterial strain, designated L12M1, was isolated from the gut of the Korean scallop, . Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain L12M1 formed a monophyletic clade with the strains in the genus and showed highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to YS10 (98.66 %).

sp. nov., isolated from Korean shiner intestine.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, non-spore-forming, obligate aerobic, motile, rod-shaped, and flagellated bacterium, designated S11R28, was isolated from the intestinal tract of a Korean shiner, . Based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain S11R28 was identified as member of the genus in class , and was closely related to DSM 23061 (98.49 %).

sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from feces of oriental stork, .

A novel Gram-stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, non-motile, non-violet-pigmented, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain H11R3, was isolated from the feces of Oriental stork, , collected from Seoul Grand Park Zoo, Republic of Korea. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that H11R3 formed a monophyletic clade with DSM 3764, DSM 100243, and DSM 103822, with sequence similarities of 98.8, 98.

sp. nov., isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of a blood cockle ().

A novel bacterial isolate, designated as strain BM15, was isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of a blood cockle, , which was collected from the foreshore of Beolgyo-eup, Republic of Korea. Strain BM15 was Gram-stain-negative, non-motile, strictly aerobic and short-rod-shaped. Optimum growth of the isolate occurred at 20 °C, in the presence of 4 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.

Diagnostic usefulness of differential time to positivity in neutropenic cancer patients with suspected catheter-related candidemia.

Methods for distinguishing catheter-related candidemia (CRC) from non-CRC before catheter removal remain limited. We thus evaluated the diagnostic performance of differential time to positivity (DTP) to diagnose CRC in neutropenic cancer patients with suspected CRC. Of the 35 patients enrolled, 15 (43%) with CRC (six definite and nine probable) and 17 (49%) with non-CRC were finally analyzed.

Antidiabetic effect of an extract of nutricultured containing vanadium from a Jeju water concentrate.

The purpose of this study was to determine the antidiabetic effect of an extract of nutricultured containing vanadium (BECV). The BECV was prepared following nutriculture of with a Jeju water vanadium concentrate for 7 day. The BECV was administered to mice for 8 weeks at different dosages (0.