Endotoxin of Porphyromonas gingivalis amplifies the inflammatory response in hyperglycemia-induced zebrafish through a mechanism involving chitinase-like protein YKL-40 analogs.

Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), a key pathogen in periodontal diseases, is also associated with hyperglycemia-associated systemic diseases, including diabetes mellitus (DM). Gingipains are the most important endotoxins of P. gingivalis, and in vivo studies using gingipains are scarce. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a vertebrate with high physiological and genetic homology with humans that has multiple co-orthologs for human genes, including inflammation-related proteins. The aim of our study was to determine the effects of gingipain in a hyperglycemia-induced zebrafish model by evaluating inflammation, oxidant-antioxidant status, and the cholinergic system. Adult zebrafish were grouped into the control group (C), hyperglycemia-induced group subjected to 15 days of overfeeding (OF), gingipain-injected group (GP), and gingipain-injected hyperglycemic group (OF + GP). At the end of 15 days, an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) levels were measured. Lipid peroxidation (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), glutathione (GSH), glutathione S-transferase, catalase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and sialic acid (SA) levels were determined spectrophotometrically in the hepatopancreas. The expression levels of tnf-⍺, il-1ß, ins, crp, and the acute phase protein YKL-40 analogs chia.5 and chia.6 were evaluated by RT‒PCR. After two weeks of overfeeding, significantly increased weight gain, FBG, and OGTT confirmed that the zebrafish were hyperglycemic. Increased oxidative stress, inflammation, and AChE and ALP activities were observed in both the overfeeding and GP groups. Amplification of inflammation and oxidative stress was evident in the OF + GP group through increased expression of crp, il-1ß, chia.5, and chia.6 and increased LPO and NO levels. Our results support the role of gingipains in the increased inflammatory response in hyperglycemia-associated diseases.

The Effect of the ABCB1(MDR-1) C3435T Polymorphism in Turkish Patients with Aspirin Resistance in Acute Ischemic Stroke.

Recurrence of thrombotic events during aspirin therapy is known as aspirin resistance (AR). This study aimed to investigate the rate of AR, the factors influencing AR in patients with acute ischemic stroke under regular aspirin use, and the relationship between AR and ABCB1 (MDR-1) C3435T (rs1045642) polymorphism. Throughout this multicenter prospective study, 174 patients with acute ischemic stroke who had been prescribed aspirin for at least one month due to the risk of vascular disease, along with 106 healthy volunteers, were included as part of the study group. The results of our study indicate that AR was detected in 21.3% of the patient group. According to the results of an analysis of the polymorphism of the ABCB1 C3435T in patients with AR compared to those with aspirin sensitivity, patients with AR possessed more heterozygous (CT) and homozygous genotypes (TT) than those with aspirin sensitivity (p = 0.001). Based on multivariate logistic regression analysis of factors affecting AR in acute ischemic stroke patients, hypertension (OR: 5.679; 95% CI: 1.144-28.19; p = 0.034), heterozygous (CT) genotype (OR: 2.557; 95% CI: 1.126-5.807; p = 0.025), increased platelet values (OR: 1.005; 95% CI: 1.001-1.009; p = 0.029), and CRP/albumin values (OR: 1.547; 95% CI: 1.005-2.382; p = 0.047) were found to be associated with a greater risk of AR. The presence of heterozygous (CT) genotype in the ABCB1 C3435T gene region in the Turkish population is associated with an increased risk of AR. When planning aspirin therapy, it is crucial to consider the ABCB1 (MDR-1) C3435T polymorphism.

Age and Sex Differences Among Mildly Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Patients with Omicron Infection in 2022 in Shanghai, China.

Background: An epidemic of the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began in March 2022, and over 600,000 cases were confirmed until early May 2022 in Shanghai, China. Data on Omicron infections are available in other countries, but the clinical features of patients in the Chinese population, especially in Shanghai, are still lacking. We collected data from a subset of asymptomatic and mildly ill patients to learn about the age and sex disparity of Omicron infection based on changes in cycle threshold values. Methods: The basic information of 325 patients who were consecutively admitted to the Shanghai Geriatrics Center was collected through medical records, and patients were tested for viral nucleic acid carriage using nasal swab samples during hospitalization. SAS 9.4 was used for data analysis, and a p value < 0.05% was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the 325 included patients, 58.8% were males, with a mean age of 47.2 years and 13.6 days of hospitalization on average. The average number of nucleic acid tests among female patients was 4.7, which was higher than that among male patients (4.1). The median value of the slope for cycle threshold (Ct) changes in the nucleic acid detection (NAD) test was 1.4. Logistic regression indicated that the proportion of slope for Ct changes >1.5 was slightly higher among male patients than among female patients (odds ratio (OR) = 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.68-1.66), and patients aged <45 years and 45-59 years had a higher proportion of slope for Ct changes >1.5 than patients aged ≥60 years. Ct values were more variable in the early stages of infection and stabilized in the later stages of infection. Conclusion: Among patients with mild illness or asymptomatic infection, the Ct value is a good, timely, and cost-effective method to reflect the recovery progress of patients. The slope of Ct changes was steeper among younger patients and male patients, which indicates faster disease recovery.