Restriction of mitochondrial oxidation of glutamine or fatty acids enhances intracellular growth of in macrophages.

(Mab), a nontuberculous mycobacterium, is increasing in prevalence worldwide and causes treatment-refractory pulmonary diseases. However, how Mab rewires macrophage energy metabolism to facilitate its survival is poorly understood. We compared the metabolic profiles of murine bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) infected with smooth (S)- and rough (R)-type Mab using extracellular flux technology.

Physiological Data Collected from Wearable Devices Identify and Predict Inflammatory Bowel Disease Flares.

Background And Aims: Wearable devices capture physiological signals non-invasively and passively. Many of these parameters have been linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity. We evaluated the associative ability of several physiological metrics with IBD flares and how they change before the development of flare.

Relationship between clarithromycin MICs and treatment responses in Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease.

Background: Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease (MAC-PD) is a chronic lung condition with rapidly increasing prevalence worldwide. Macrolides like azithromycin and clarithromycin are the backbone of long-term antibiotic therapy for progressive MAC-PD. The impact of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), especially within the susceptible range, for macrolides on treatment responses remains unclear.

Clinical Significance of Overlap Syndrome of Histologically Confirmed Lupus Nephritis with Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis.

We applied the 2022 American College of Rheumatology/ European Alliance of Association for Rheumatology (ACR/EULAR) criteria for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) to patients histologically diagnosed with lupus nephritis (LN) to investigate the overall rate of and initial contributing factors to the reclassification of overlap syndrome of LN with AAV (OS-LN-AAV). We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 1292 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and included 164 patients with LN in this study. Patient demographics, SLE manifestations, LN classes, and laboratory data, including ANCA levels, were recorded.

Design, synthesis, biological evaluation study of spirocyclic POM analogues as novel MmpL3 anti-tubercular agent.

We present the development of a phenyl oxazole methyl (POM) core structure with spirocyclic derivatives as part of our efforts to discover innovative anti-tuberculosis agents. Derivatives of spirocyclic POM were synthesized and evaluated for their inhibitory effects on M.tuberculosis (M.

The autophagy-targeting compound V46 enhances antimicrobial responses to Mycobacteroides abscessus by activating transcription factor EB.

Mycobacteroides abscessus (Mabc) is a rapidly growing nontuberculous mycobacterium that poses a considerable challenge as a multidrug-resistant pathogen causing chronic human infection. Effective therapeutics that enhance protective immune responses to Mabc are urgently needed. This study introduces trans-3,5,4'-trimethoxystilbene (V46), a novel resveratrol analogue with autophagy-activating properties and antimicrobial activity against Mabc infection, including multidrug-resistant strains.

Pan-lineage Mycobacterium tuberculosis reference genome for enhanced molecular diagnosis.

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) control, whole genome sequencing-based molecular drug susceptibility testing (molDST-WGS) has emerged as a pivotal tool. However, the current reliance on a single-strain reference limits molDST-WGS's true potential. To address this, we introduce a new pan-lineage reference genome, 'MtbRf'.

Isoegomaketone exhibits potential as a new inhibitor.

Although the incidence of infection has recently increased significantly, treatment is difficult because this bacterium is resistant to most anti-tuberculosis drugs. In particular, is often resistant to available macrolide antibiotics, so therapeutic options are extremely limited. Hence, there is a pressing demand to create effective drugs or therapeutic regimens for infections.

Improvement in Health-Related Quality of Life Following Antibiotic Treatment in Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Pulmonary Disease: Initial Analysis of the NTM-KOREA Cohort.

Background: Improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has emerged as a priority in the management of nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). We aimed to evaluate HRQOL and its changes after 6 months' treatment in patients with NTM-PD.

Methods: The NTM-KOREA is a nationwide prospective cohort enrolling patients initiating treatment for NTM-PD in 8 institutions across South Korea.

Longitudinal monitoring of IL-6 and CRP in inflammatory bowel disease using IBD-AWARE.

There are limitations to monitoring modalities for chronic inflammatory conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Wearable devices are scalable mobile health technology that present an opportunity to monitor markers that have been linked to worsening, chronic inflammatory conditions and enable remote monitoring. In this research article, we evaluate and demonstrate a proof-of-concept wearable device to longitudinally monitor inflammatory and immune markers linked to IBD disease activity in sweat compared to expression in serum.

Longitudinal assessment of sweat-based TNF-alpha in inflammatory bowel disease using a wearable device.

Wearable devices can non-invasively monitor patients with chronic diseases. Sweat is an easily accessible biofluid for continuous sampling of analytes, including inflammatory markers and cytokines. We evaluated a sweat sensing wearable device in subjects with and without inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract.

The Impact of Trehalose Dimycolate on the Clinical Course of Complex Pulmonary Disease.

The clinical implications of trehalose 6,6'-dimycolate (TDM) in nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease have not been studied. To examine the presence of TDM in clinical isolates obtained from patients with complex (MAC) pulmonary disease (PD) and its impact on disease severity and treatment outcomes. We analyzed clinical isolates from patients with diagnoses of MAC PD at Seoul National University Hospital between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2021.

Differential Immune Responses and Underlying Mechanisms of Metabolic Reprogramming in Smooth and Rough Variants of Infections.

() is a rapidly growing mycobacteria that is classified as a nontuberculous mycobacterium (NTM) and is commonly found in environmental sources such as soil, water, and animals. is considered an opportunistic pathogen that causes infection in immunocompromised individuals or those with underlying medical conditions. Although there have been clinical reports on , reports of the immune response and metabolic reprogramming have not been published.

Australian English listeners' perception of Japanese vowel length reveals underlying phonological knowledge.

Speech perception patterns are strongly influenced by one's native phonology. It is generally accepted that native English listeners rely primarily on spectral cues when perceiving vowels, making limited use of duration cues because English lacks phonemic vowel length. However, the literature on vowel perception by English listeners shows a marked bias toward American English, with the phonological diversity among different varieties of English largely overlooked.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score is a useful index for predicting all-cause mortality in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Background: This study investigated whether the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score (NFS) could predict all-cause mortality during follow-up among patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Methods: The medical records of 256 AAV patients were retrospectively reviewed. AAV patients with clinically critical chronic liver diseases were excluded.

GC-MS/MS Method for Determination of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Herbal Medicines.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hydrophobic organic contaminants that have a highly carcinogenic and mutagenic nature. This study aimed to develop and validate a sensitive analytical method to determine 8 PAHs in 51 herbal medicines (HMs) using gas chromatography (GC)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Liquid--liquid extraction and florisil SPE cartridge purification were basically adopted for pretreatment.

Dimethyl itaconate is effective in host-directed antimicrobial responses against mycobacterial infections through multifaceted innate immune pathways.

Background: Itaconate, a crucial immunometabolite, plays a critical role in linking immune and metabolic functions to influence host defense and inflammation. Due to its polar structure, the esterified cell-permeable derivatives of itaconate are being developed to provide therapeutic opportunities in infectious and inflammatory diseases. Yet, it remains largely uncharacterized whether itaconate derivatives have potentials in promoting host-directed therapeutics (HDT) against mycobacterial infections.

Novel Antibacterial Activity of Febuxostat, an FDA-Approved Antigout Drug against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection.

Accumulating evidence suggests that drug repurposing has drawn attention as an anticipative strategy for controlling tuberculosis (TB), considering the dwindling drug discovery and development pipeline. In this study, we explored the antigout drug febuxostat and evaluated its antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium species. Based on MIC evaluation, we found that febuxostat treatment significantly inhibited mycobacterial growth, especially that of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and its phylogenetically close neighbors, M.

Predicting the depressive status using empirical dietary inflammatory index in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Background: This study investigated whether the empirical dietary inflammatory index (eDII) score is associated with the inflammatory burden as well as the depressive status in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV).

Methods: Eighty-four patients with AAV participated in this study. Birmingham vasculitis activity score (BVAS) and short-form 36-item Health Survey mental component summary (SF-36 MCS) were considered as indices assessing the inflammatory burden and depressive status, respectively.

Arginine-mediated gut microbiome remodeling promotes host pulmonary immune defense against nontuberculous mycobacterial infection.

Nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary diseases (NTM-PDs) are emerging as global health threats with issues of antibiotic resistance. Accumulating evidence suggests that the gut-lung axis may provide novel candidates for host-directed therapeutics against various infectious diseases. However, little is known about the gut-lung axis in the context of host protective immunity to identify new therapeutics for NTM-PDs.