Urine Metabolite of Mice with Orientia tsutsugamushi Infection.

Scrub typhus is an acute febrile, mite-borne disease endemic to the Asia-Pacific region. In South Korea, it is a seasonal disease that occurs frequently in the autumn, and its incidence has increased steadily. In this study, we used a liquid chromatography and flow injection analysis-tandem mass spectrometry-based targeted urine metabolomics approach to evaluate the host response to Orientia tsutsugamushi infection.

Non-cytopathic bovine viral diarrhoea virus 2 induces autophagy to enhance its replication.

Background: Bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) is an important viral pathogen that has an economic impact on the livestock industry worldwide. Autophagy is one of the earliest cell-autonomous defence mechanisms against microbial invasion, and many types of viruses can induce autophagy by infecting host cells.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of non-cytopathic (ncp) BVDV2 infection.

Biomechanical forces in the aged brain: Relationship to AD.

The pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, has been studied with a focus on biochemical mechanisms, such as the amyloid-β plaque deposition and removal. Recently, the importance of brain microenvironmental cues, which comprise the sophisticated cellular and fluid system, has been emphasized in the aged brain or in pathological conditions. Especially, substrate rigidity and biomechanical forces of the brain microenvironment determine the function of glial cells and neurons; furthermore, these microenvironmental cues change with age.

Tenofovir alafenamide alleviates nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in mice by blocking the phosphorylation of AKT in intrahepatic mononuclear phagocytes.

Background And Purpose: Although the prevalence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is rapidly increasing, effective therapy is lacking. Tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) is a widely used antiviral drug for hepatitis B. In this study, we investigated the potential pharmacological effects of TAF on NASH.

Comparing the Immunogenicity and Protective Effects of Three MERS-CoV Inactivation Methods in Mice.

The Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a fatal acute viral respiratory disease caused by MERS-coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. To date, no vaccine has been approved for MERS-CoV despite continuing outbreaks. Inactivated vaccines are a viable option when developed using the appropriate inactivation methods and adjuvants.

Evolutionary analysis of Babesia vulpes and Babesia microti-like parasites.

Background: The Babesia microti-like parasite is an emerging tick-borne piroplasm that has been detected in a range of hosts worldwide. Babesia vulpes, which is found in dogs and foxes, has been reclassified from B. microti-like parasites.

Can nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment shorten the duration of COVID-19 isolation?

Background: The impact of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir treatment on shedding of viable virus in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unclear.

Methods: A prospective cohort study evaluating mildly ill COVID-19 patients was conducted. Virologic responses were compared between nirmatrelvir/ritonavir-treatment and supportive care groups.

Impact of nationwide hepatocellular carcinoma surveillance on the prognosis in patients with chronic liver disease.

Background/aims: This study aimed to investigate the effect of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) surveillance using the Korea National Liver Cancer Screening Program on the receipt of curative treatment for HCC and mortality in patients with chronic liver disease.

Methods: This population-based cohort study from the Korean National Health Insurance Service included 2003 to 2015 claims data collected from 1,209,825 patients aged ≥40 years with chronic hepatitis B, chronic hepatitis C, and liver cirrhosis. Patients were divided according to HCC surveillance using ultrasonography and serum alpha-fetoprotein every 6-12 months.

Kinetics of vaccine-induced neutralizing antibody titers and estimated protective immunity against wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and the Delta variant: A prospective nationwide cohort study comparing three COVID-19 vaccination protocols in South Korea.

Introduction: Despite vaccine development, the COVID-19 pandemic is ongoing due to immunity-escaping variants of concern (VOCs). Estimations of vaccine-induced protective immunity against VOCs are essential for setting proper COVID-19 vaccination policy.

Methods: We performed plaque-reduction neutralizing tests (PRNTs) using sera from healthcare workers (HCWs) collected from baseline to six months after COVID-19 vaccination and from convalescent COVID-19 patients.

Combination therapy with nirmatrelvir and molnupiravir improves the survival of SARS-CoV-2 infected mice.

As the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic remains uncontrolled owing to the continuous emergence of variants of concern, there is an immediate need to implement the most effective antiviral treatment strategies, especially for risk groups. Here, we evaluated the therapeutic potency of nirmatrelvir, remdesivir and molnupiravir, and their combinations in SARS-CoV-2 infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. Systemic treatment of mice with each drug (20 mg/kg) resulted in slightly enhanced antiviral efficacy and yielded an increased life expectancy of only about 20-40% survival.

GCSB-5 regulates inflammatory arthritis and pain by modulating the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway in a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine whether GCSB-5 has anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects in mice with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA), an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and investigate the influence of GCSB-5 on the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway.

Materials And Methods: The experimental animal study was designed to include five groups: CIA mice treated with GCSB-5 (300 mg/kg), GCSB-5 (600 mg/kg), celecoxib (60 mg/kg), or saline for four weeks, and nontreated control mice. The clinical severity of arthritis was scored.

Diesel exhaust particles induce human umbilical vein endothelial cells apoptosis by accumulation of autophagosomes and caspase-8 activation.

Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) are risk factors for endothelial cells (ECs) dysfunction. However, the mechanism by which DEP induce ECs apoptosis remains unclear. Here, we investigated how DEP induce death of human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs), with a focus on the autophagy-mediated apoptotic pathway.

Perspectives on the cost of goods for hPSC banks for manufacture of cell therapies.

This report summarizes key issues contributing to the cost of preparing human pluripotent stem cell lines for use in cell therapy manufacturing based on discussion between stem cell banking experts from ten countries at a workshop session on ‘cost of goods’ for human pluripotent stem cell banking organized by the International Stem Cell Banking Initiative (ISCBI) held at the Korea National Institutes of Health in Korea (25 September 2019). In this report, we also build on the workshop discussion and highlight and discuss the full range of costs and unexpected challenges on resources for the delivery of stocks of hPSCs suitable for use as starting materials in the manufacture of stem cell-based medicines. The experiences of global leaders from different national resource centers highlight issues to consider in cost management and the possibilities for reducing costs while moving into the clinical application stage.

Long-Term Effects of Ambient Particulate and Gaseous Pollutants on Serum High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein Levels: A Cross-Sectional Study Using KoGES-HEXA Data.

Ambient air pollutants reportedly increase inflammatory responses associated with multiple chronic diseases. We investigated the effects of long-term exposure to ambient air pollution on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) using data from 60,581 participants enrolled in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study-Health Examinees Study between 2012 and 2017. Community Multiscale Air Quality System with surface data assimilation was used to estimate the participants' exposure to criteria air pollutants based on geocoded residential addresses.

Identification of a pleiotropic effect of ADIPOQ on cardiac dysfunction and Alzheimer's disease based on genetic evidence and health care records.

Observations of comorbidity in heart diseases, including cardiac dysfunction (CD) are increasing, including and cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia (AD/D). This comorbidity might be due to a pleiotropic effect of genetic variants shared between CD and AD/D. Here, we validated comorbidity of CD and AD/D based on diagnostic records from millions of patients in Korea and the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (odds ratio 11.

Integrated dataset of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study cohort with estimated air pollution data.

Public concern about the adverse health effects of air pollution has grown rapidly in Korea, and there has been increasing demand for research on ways to minimize the health effects of air pollution. Integrating large epidemiological data and air pollution exposure levels can provide a data infrastructure for studying ambient air pollution and its health effects. The Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES), a large population-based study, has been used in many epidemiological studies of chronic diseases.

Insufficient weight management in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Objectives: This study investigated whether weight was managed appropriately in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and examined the association between insufficient gestational weight gain (GWG) and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: The study included 235 pregnant women with GDM from the Korean Pregnancy Outcome Study. GWG from the second to the third trimester (kg/wk) and total GWG (kg) were classified as insufficient, appropriate, or excessive according to the 2009 Institute of Medicine guidelines.

Glycan-Adhering Lectins and Experimental Evaluation of a Lectin FimH Inhibitor in Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) O157:H7 Strain EDL933.

In this study, we tried to develop a FimH inhibitor that inhibits adhesion of enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) on the epithelium of human intestine during the initial stage of infections. Using a T7 phage display method with a reference strain, EHEC EDL933, FimH was selected as an adherent lectin to GM1a and Gb3 glycans. In order to detect the ligand binding domain (LBD) of FimH, we used a docking simulation and found three binding site sequences of FimH, i.

The effect of the association between CETP variant type and alcohol consumption on cholesterol level differs according to the ALDH2 variant type.

Alcohol consumption is associated with a high increased lipid profile and this association may depend on genetic risk factors. In this study, we aimed to assess the effects of genetic variation associated with alcohol consumption on lipid profiles using data from two Korean population studies. We performed a genotype association study using the HEXA (n = 51,349) and KNHANES (n = 9158) data.

SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer vaccine expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana adjuvanted with Alum elicits protective immune responses in mice.

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has spurred rapid development of vaccines as part of the public health response. However, the general strategy used to construct recombinant trimeric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike (S) proteins in mammalian cells is not completely adaptive to molecular farming. Therefore, we generated several constructs of recombinant S proteins for high expression in Nicotiana benthamiana.

Paeonia lactiflora Pallas extract alleviates antibiotics and DNCB-induced atopic dermatitis symptoms by suppressing inflammation and changing the gut microbiota composition in mice.

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a highly prevalent inflammatory skin disease worldwide. Recent studies have suggested an important role for association with the gut and skin microbiome axis in AD development. Paeonia lactiflora Pallas extract (PL) is commonly used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.