Healthcare-associated infection after spinal cord injury in a tertiary rehabilitation center in South Korea: a retrospective chart audit.

STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective observational study. OBJECTIVE: To identify the difference between patients with and without healthcare-associated infection (HAI) after spinal cord injury (SCI), changes in the quantity of rehabilitation after HAI, and resistance to and application of empirical antibiotics. SETTING: University hospital-affiliated rehabilitation center. METHODS: Altogether, 338 patients with SCI receiving inpatient rehabilitation from January 2015 to March 2018 were categorized into two groups based on the presence or absence of HAI. Demographic and clinical characteristics, amount of rehabilitation performance between before and after HAI, resistance to antibiotics, and empirical antibiotic change rates were investigated. RESULTS: In 79 patients, 117 HAI cases occurred, with an overall incidence of 34.6%. Male sex, complete SCI, and trauma history were more frequent in the HAI group than in the non-HAI group. Length of stay (LOS) was longer at 28.9 days in the HAI group. The incidence of lower respiratory tract infections (LRIs) and urinary tract infections (UTIs) was 5.0 and 16.9%, respectively. The rehabilitation loss rates due to LRIs and UTIs were 40.0 and 20.2%, respectively, which were not statistically significant. The rates of resistance to recommended empirical antibiotics for LRIs and UTIs were 26.9-57.7% and 54.2-67.8%, respectively. The rates of empirical antibiotic changes for LRIs and UTIs were 35.3 and 43.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: HAI after SCI was more common in men, complete SCI and trauma history. LOS was prolonged in the HAI group. A quantitative reduction of rehabilitation treatment after HAI was observed, but further research is needed for validation.

Efficacy of FRO on Acne Vulgaris Pathogenesis.

Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease characterized by increased sebum production, inflammation, and Cutibacterium acnes (CA: formerly Propionibacterium acnes) hyperproliferation in pilosebaceous follicles. This study evaluated the efficacy of FRO, a formula composed of fermented Rhus verniciflua Stokes and Orostachys japonicus, against acne pathogenesis via antimicrobial assessment and an in vitro analysis. Stimulated model cells treated with hormones, CA, or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were designed based on the characteristics of acne pathogenesis, including inflammation and sebum hypersecretion. High-performance liquid chromatography, disc diffusion, MTS, and western blotting assays were used to examine potential anti-acne effects. FRO was determined to contain phenolics such as gallic acid, fisetin, quercetin, and kaempferol. FRO exerted antimicrobial activity against CA and inhibited reactive oxygen species production that was otherwise increased by LPS or CA in HaCaT cells. Additionally, FRO exerted anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting iNOS, TNF-α, IL-6, p-STAT-3, and p-NF-κB, which were previously upregulated by LPS or CA in THP-1 and HaCaT cells. FRO inhibited lipogenesis induced by steroid hormones and CA by decreasing FAS and SREBP-1 levels in sebocytes. Additionally, FRO down-regulated the androgen receptor, 5α-reductase, SREBP-1, and FAS levels, which were upregulated by steroid hormone in LNCaP cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that FRO alleviates acne by inhibiting the growth of CA, inflammation, and excess sebum and could be used for functional cosmetics or acne treatments.

AKT, a Key Transmitter of HIF-1α and AR Signaling Pathways, Has a Critical Role in the Apigetrin-Mediated Anti-Cancer Effects in Prostate Cancer Cells.

Apigetrin is a flavonoid glycoside phytochemical that is derived from various herbs and exhibits several beneficial biological activities, including anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and anti-cancer effects. In the present study, we elucidated the anti-cancer effect and targeting mechanism of apigetrin in LNCaP and PC-3 cells through various experiments, including cell viability by CELLOMAXTM Viability Assay kit, cell migration by scratch wound assays, and 2D-and 3D- cell growth assay. Apigetrin inhibited the viability, migration, proliferation, and growth of cells in long-term 2D- and 3D- cultures cell growth. A high dose of apigetrin induced apoptosis, as evidenced by increased cleavage of poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) and caspase-3 (c-cas3) in both LNCaP and PC-3 cells. Furthermore, apigetrin inhibited AR, PSA, HIF-1α, and VEGF expression in LNCaP and PC-3 cells. Apigetrin also suppressed the hypoxia-induced HIF-1α expression in these cells. Furthermore, apigetrin reduced hypoxia-induced VEGF secretion in the culture medium and inhibited hypoxia-induced tube formation of HUVECs. Silencing of AKT revealed that the anti-cancer activity of apigetrin is mediated via AKT. Thus, our data suggest that apigetrin exerts anti-cancer effects by inhibiting AKT, a central key of HIF-1α and AR signaling, in early-and late-stage prostate cancer cells.

SPHK/HIF-1α Signaling Pathway Has a Critical Role in Chrysin-Induced Anticancer Activity in Hypoxia-Induced PC-3 Cells.

Hypoxia, a typical feature of locally advanced solid tumors including prostate cancer, is a critical contributor to tumor progression and causes resistance to therapy. In this study, we investigated the effects of chrysin on tumor progression in hypoxic PC-3 cells. Chrysin exerted a significant inhibitory effect on 3D cell growth under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. It also decreased the hypoxia-induced vasculogenic mimicry and attenuated the expression of HIF-1α and VE-cadherin. Chrysin inhibited HIF-1α accumulation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in hypoxic PC-3 cells, while also suppressing the expression of HIF-1α by inhibiting SPHK-1 in both CoCl2 and hypoxic PC-3 cells. At high concentrations of chrysin, there was a greater increase in apoptosis in the hypoxic cells compared to that in normoxic cells, which was accompanied by sub-G1 phase arrest. Chrysin-induced apoptosis inhibited VEGF and Bcl-2 and induced the cleavage of PARP and caspase-3. SPHK-1 knockdown induced apoptosis and inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Consistent with the in vitro data, 50 mg/kg of chrysin suppressed the tumor growth of PC-3 xenografts by 80.4% compared to that in the untreated control group. The immunohistochemistry of tumor tissues revealed decreased Ki-67, HIF-1α, and VEGF expression in the chrysin-treated group compared to an untreated control. Western blotting data for tumor tissues showed that chrysin treatment decreased SPHK-1, HIF-1α, and PARP expression while inducing caspase-3 cleavage. Overall, our findings suggest that chrysin exerts anti-tumor activity by inhibiting SPHK-1/HIF-1α signaling and thus represents a potent chemotherapeutic agent for hypoxia, which promotes cancer progression and is related to poor prognoses in prostate cancer patients.

Brassicasterol from Edible Aquacultural Hippocampus abdominalis Exerts an Anti-Cancer Effect by Dual-Targeting AKT and AR Signaling in Prostate Cancer.

In the Compendium of Materia Medica, seahorse (Hippocampus) is considered effective for the reinforcement of kidney and men's health. However, the role of seahorse on human health lacks scientific evidence. Therefore, we evaluated the effect of seahorse on human prostate cancer using various in vitro methods and identified bioactive compound. Seahorse lipid extract (SHL) decreased androgen receptor (AR) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) expression in dihydrotestosterone (DHT)-induced LNCaP cells of prostate cancer. Gas Chromatography (GC)-mass spectrometry data showed that brassicasterol was present in H. abdominalis. Brassicasterol downregulated the expression of AR and PSA in DHT-induced LNCaP cells. Brassicasterol induced apoptosis accompanied by sub-G1 phase arrest and inhibited migration in LNCaP cells. We confirmed that AKT and AR mediated the anti-cancer effect of brassicasterol using siRNA transfection. Brassicasterol exerts an anti-cancer effect in AR-independent cancer as well as in AR-dependent cells by AKT inhibiting. Our findings suggest that SHL has the anticancer potential via inhibition of AR and demonstrated that brassicasterol from H. abdominalis exerted an anti-cancer effect by dual-targeting AKT and AR signaling in prostate cancer.