Asian Biomedicine最新文献

Background: Inflammation may be associated with macular pigment optical density (MPOD) degradation.

Objectives: The relationship between inflammation and MPOD is evaluated using inflammatory biomarkers, including high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), lipid level and ratio, waist circumference (WC), and body mass index (BMI).

Method: In this cross-sectional design, 62 hypertensive patients were recruited between January 6 and January 8, 2022, at a primary care unit. The MPOD was measured using the Macular pigment screener II. Blood tests for hsCRP, lipid profile, WC measurement, BMI calculation, and completing a questionnaire were conducted, and statistical analysis was done by using Microsoft Excel 2019 and Stata version 16.1. Spearman's rank correlation test was used to evaluate correlations. Multivariate analysis for adjusting confounders was done by logistic regression.

Result: There was a significant negative correlation between hsCRP >3 and MPOD (r = -0.26, P = 0.04).

Conclusion: Inflammation was linked to MPOD. Anti-inflammatory agents may be beneficial in preventing MPOD degradation.

Background: In Japan, on April 20, 2020, the definition of a close contact regarding coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was changed from a long-term contact time to a specified contact time of 15 min and from a contact distance of 2 m to 1 m.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection rate among close contacts of patients with COVID-19 and determine the impact of the infection on transmission among close contacts.

Methods: The numbers of SARS-CoV-2 tests, SARS-CoV-2-positive cases, and close contacts of patients with COVID-19 were assessed between March 2020 and February 2021 in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The study period was subdivided into 3 periods. The second and third period contained data with the changed definition of close contact.

Results: Overall, 32,238 SARS-CoV-2 tests were performed. There were 545 patients with COVID-19 and 1487 close contacts, of whom 267 tested positive. The highest infection rate occurred in period 3. Distance, protective measures, and contact time with COVID-19 patients influenced the increased infection rate. The infection rate showed a rising trend from 11.1% in period 1 to 19.2% and 20.0% in periods 2 and 3, respectively (Cochran-Armitage test; P < 0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed that female sex was an independent risk factor for infection of close contacts (odds ratio: 2.23; 95% confidence interval: 1.700-2.930).

Conclusions: Female sex is a risk factor for transmission by close contacts. The rate of infection among close contacts may be associated with contact time, contact distance, and protective measures.

Background: Statins are the most widely used lipid-lowering agents for patients with hyperlipidemia. However, interindividual variations in efficacy and risk of adverse drug reactions to statin treatment have been widely reported. Ethnicity is well known to be one of the contributing factors to this variation, particularly among Asians.

Objectives: To identify genetic variants associated with statin treatment responses among Asian populations with a focus on four commonly prescribed statins: atorvastatin, rosuvastatin, simvastatin, and pravastatin.

Methods: A literature search was conducted in Medline and Embase databases. Studies published from 2008 to 2021 were included. The title and abstract of each article were screened by two reviewers and verified by another two reviewers. Data charted include information on authors, year of study, study population, statin studied, gene studied, study findings, and data of significant statistical value.

Results: A total of 35 articles were included from the 1,939 original studies related to treatment efficacy and 5 articles out of the 284 original studies related to adverse effects. Genetic variants in transmembrane transporters, cytochrome P450 isoenzymes, and apolipoproteins are the most extensively studied among Asian populations, with a main focus on ethnic Chinese. However, Asia consists of genetically different populations, and the results of this review indicated that there is a paucity of studies on other ethnic groups within Asia.

Conclusions: Considering the ethnicity of patients could provide a potential value to personalized medicine in statin therapy.

Background: Enhancing the bone healing procedure would resultantly improve the post-recovery life quality, as well as the speed with which the patient returns to their former life quality. Porous structures can provide a large surface area and abundant channels to facilitate mass transfer.

Objective: To evaluate the application of mesoporous materials in the bone healing of surgically created defects on the tibiae of male adult Wistar rats.

Methods: The defect areas were evaluated after implantation of 4 types of bioactive glass histopathologically and immunohistochemically. Fifty adult rats were divided into 5 groups including a control group without material. The used products were mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG), Cu-MBG, Zn-MBG, and Cu-Zn-MBG. Unicortical bone defects with a 3 mm diameter were performed in both tibiae of the animals and filled with 4 types of glass particles. The rats were then euthanized at 15 d and 30 d. Tibial samples were collected and the tissues forwarded for histological processing, and examined using light microscopy. Additionally, bone healing was evaluated by assessing the levels of bone morphogenetic protein BMP2, collagen 1, osteocalcin (OST), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) using immunohistochemical methods.

Results: Within the 15th day, all groups presented connective tissue septa; at the 30th day, the new bone formation was more intense in the Cu-Zn-MBG group. Additionally, BMP2, collagen 1, OST, and VEGF immune expression were more prominent in the Cu-Zn-MBG group.

Conclusions: The study results indicated that MBG may be used for the repairing of bone defects. Cu-Zn-MBG may be the best choice for this purpose.

Background: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are caused by microbial invasion of healthy or damaged skin. SSTIs are difficult to manage and contribute to chronicity and emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

Objectives: To ascertain the prevalence of bacteria causing SSTIs and their antimicrobial susceptibility patterns.

Methods: A prospective study between November 2020 and May 2021. A total of 447 samples from SSTIs were analyzed.

Results: A total of 347 samples revealed mono-bacterial growth, of which 67% were male. SSTIs are common among patients aged 21-50 years with the dominance (78%) of gram-negative rods (GNRs). Escherichia coli (36%), Klebsiella spp. (22%), Staphylococcus aureus (16%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11%) were predominant organisms. GNRs were highly resistant (>65%) to ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. For injectable antibiotics, the highest resistance was determined against ceftriaxone, and the least resistance was determined against amikacin. Resistance against carbapenem was the highest among P. aeruginosa (53%) and Klebsiella spp. (32%). S. aureus showed the highest resistance against ciprofloxacin, and the least resistance was determined against clindamycin. Of 57 S. aureus isolates, 86% isolates were methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). All isolates of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus were sensitive to polymyxin B and vancomycin, respectively. The prevalence of multidrug-resistant E. coli and Klebsiella spp. was higher among deep-seated SSTIs (dSSTIs).

Conclusions: The predominant etiology of SSTIs is GNR. Currently, there is very high resistance against oral antibiotics. Antimicrobial resistance against carbapenem has also increased. Moreover, there is a high frequency of MRSA. MDR E. coli and Klebsiella spp. isolates are frequently involved in dSSTIs.

Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a condition with an unclear genetic basis. Fucosyltransferase 3 (FUT3) could potentially be linked to IBD susceptibility.

Objective: To investigate the association between FUT3 gene polymorphisms and IBD.

Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 checklist and Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes, and Study (PICOS) guidelines, case-control studies published until April 30, 2020 was searched. Two independent reviewers conducted screening, data extraction, and quality assessment using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Meta-analysis, sensitivity analysis, and Egger tests were performed using RevMan and Stata12.0.

Results: The review included 5 articles and 12 case-control studies involving 1712 IBD patients and 1903 controls. The meta-analysis revealed the following combined odds ratios [95% confidence intervals]: rs3745635 genotype (GA+AA vs GG) 0.84 (0.72-0.97), (GG+GA vs AA) 1.93 (1.23-3.05), (GG vs AA) 2.38 (1.52-3.74), (A vs G) 0.84 (0.73-0.96); rs3894326 genotype (TA+AA vs TT) 1.03 (0.87-1.23), (TT+TA vs AA) 1.19 (0.56-2.51), (TT vs AA) 1.19 (0.56-2.51), (A vs T) 1.02 (0.86-1.20); rs28362459 genotype (TG+GG vs TT) 0.98 (0.85-1.12), (TT+TG vs GG) 1.20 (0.90-1.61), (TT vs GG) 1.21 (0.90-1.62), (G vs T) 0.96 (0.86-1.07). Sensitivity analysis indicated the stability of the results, and Egger analysis showed no significant publication bias.

Conclusions: The rs3745635 gene polymorphism may be associated with IBD susceptibility, whereas the rs3894326 and rs28362459 gene polymorphisms may not be associated with IBD.

Background: The cytochrome P450 (CYP450) family is well known as a major group of drug metabolizing enzymes. The polymorphism of CYP450 genes is the main factor having an impact on the interindividual difference in drug response, including drug efficacy and drug safety. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) of Vietnamese Kinh has been widely studied, but information about the copy number variations (CNVs) of other CYP450 genes is still unknown.

Objective: To identify the CNV variability of CYP450 in 154 healthy unrelated Kinh Vietnamese, except eCYP2D6, which was previously reported.

Methods: Multiplex Ligation-Dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) was applied for determination of copy number of 10 CYP450 genes. Later, PCR or quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to confirm the detected CNVs in randomly chosen subjects.

Results: Of the 154 subjects, along with CYP2D6, 4 other CYP450 genes showed CNVs including duplications (CYP1B1), deletions (CYP2A6 and CYP2C9), and both duplications and deletions (CYP2E1). Among these, CYP2A6 exhibited the greatest frequency of CNVs compared with other CYP450, in which CYP2A6Del accounted for 11%. Meanwhile, allele CYP2E1Del showed the lowest frequency with only 0.3%.

Conclusions: The present study provides new insight into CYP450 CNVs in the Kinh Vietnamese cohort. Our data have contributed to genetic profiling of CYP450 CNVs in Vietnam, which would be helpful for facilitating implementation of pharmacogenetics in drug dosing adjustment in Vietnam.

Background: In rapidly growing solid tumors, insufficient vascularization and poor oxygen supply result in an acidic tumor microenvironment, which can alter immune response.

Objective: To investigate the role of the acidic microenvironment in immune response modulation along with cancer and immune cells' interactions.

Method: To mimic the tumor microenvironment conditions, T cells (Jurkat), macrophages (THP-1), and HeLa (cervical) cells were cultured under acidic conditions (pH 6.9, pH 6.5) and physiological pH (7.4). The HeLa cell culture medium was exploited as a tumor cell conditioned medium. Real-time PCR was carried out to quantify the mRNA levels, while flow cytometry and western blot hybridization was carried out to ascertain the levels of different proteins.

Results: The acidic microenvironment around the T cells (Jurkat) and macrophage cells (THP-1) could lead to the downregulation of the interferon gamma (IFN-γ). An increase in IFN-γ expression was observed when Jurkat and macrophage cells were cultured in HeLa cells conditioned medium (HCM) at low pH (pH 6.9, pH 6.5). The HeLa cells under acidic environment (pH 6.9, pH 6.5) upregulated interleukin 18 levels and secreted it as exosome anchored. Additionally, enhanced nuclear localization of NF-κB was observed in Jurkat and THP-1 cells cultured in HCM (pH 6.9, pH 6.5). Jurkat and THP-1 cultured in HCM revealed enhanced cytotoxicity against the HeLa cells upon reverting the pH of the medium from acidic to physiological pH (pH 7.4).

Conclusion: Collectively, these results suggest that the acidic microenvironment acted as a key barrier to cancer and immune cells' interactions.