Magnetite addition reduces nitrite requirement for efficient anaerobic ammonium oxidation by facilitating mutualism of ANAMMOX and FEAMMOX bacteria.

Partial nitrification (PN) is crucial for anaerobic ammonium oxidation (ANAMMOX), but faces challenges such as high energy demands and process control. Recent research has highlighted additives like magnetite as potential alternatives to conventional electron acceptors (O2 and NO2-) for enhancing ammonium (NH4+) oxidation with lower energy consumption. This study investigated the effect of adding 50 mg/L of magnetite to ANAMMOX reactors, resulting in improved nitrogen (N) removal efficiency. The magnetite-added ANAMMOX (M-ANA) reactor yielded N removal efficiencies of 71 %, 66 %, and 57 % for NH4+:NO2- molar ratios of 1:1.3, 1:0.8, and 1:0.5, respectively. The M-ANA reactor operated under a 0.5 mol lower NO2- concentration achieved similar performance to the control ANAMMOX (C-ANA) reactor operated with a theoretical amount of NO2-. Moreover, the M-ANA reactor showed the potential to remove NH4+ by 56 % without any NO2- supplementation. Metagenomic analysis showed that the addition of magnetite significantly improved the relative abundance of microorganisms involved in the FEAMMOX reaction, such as Fimbriimonas ginsengisoli and Pseudomonas stutzeri. It also facilitated positive mutualism between ANAMMOX and FEAMMOX reactions. In addition, M-ANA granules exhibited a dense and compact structure compared with C-ANA, and the presence of magnetite facilitated the formation of resilient granules. Notably, the useful protein (Heme C) concentration and specific microbial activity in the M-ANA reactor were 1.3 and 2.2 times higher than those in the C-ANA reactor. Overall, the results demonstrate that an appropriate amount of magnetite can enhance the N removal efficiency while reducing the energy input requirements and associated carbon emissions. These findings can guide the future development of carbon- and energy-neutral N removal processes.

Prevalence of Severe Atopic Dermatitis and Comorbid Chronic Systemic Diseases Is Increasing in Korean Children and Adolescents.

Severe atopic dermatitis (AD) is not a localized cutaneous disease, but a systemic disease that often accompanies comorbidities. In this nationwide population-based study, we aimed to analyze the prevalence of severe AD and chronic systemic diseases in Koreans aged ≤ 20 years between 2011 and 2019 using the data from the Korean Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. Total AD and severe AD were defined according to the International Classification of Diseases-10 code L20. In children aged 6-20 years, the prevalence of severe AD significantly increased from 0.02% in 2011 to 0.04% in 2019 (P for trend < 0.001), with the ratio of severe AD to total AD increasing from 0.76% in 2011 to 1.10% in 2019 (P for trend < 0.001). The prevalence rates of severe AD significantly increased between 2011 and 2019 in children aged 6-12 years (P for trend < 0.05) and 13-18 years (P for trend < 0.001). Severe AD was more frequently found in males than in females each year (all P < 0.001, from 2011 to 2019). During the period from 2011 to 2019, the prevalence rate of chronic systemic diseases was higher in subjects with severe AD than in those without AD (P < 0.001) or with mild-to-moderate AD (P < 0.001). In conclusion, our results suggest that the prevalence of severe AD is increasing in Korean children and adolescents and is higher in males and older age groups. Moreover, severe AD is associated with chronic systemic diseases. Therefore, more attention should be paid to managing severe AD.

Association of maternal ultra-processed food consumption during pregnancy with atopic dermatitis in infancy: Korean Mothers and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study.

BACKGROUND: Maternal diet during pregnancy might influence the development of childhood allergic disorders. There are few studies on the association between processed food intake and infant atopic dermatitis (AD) during pregnancy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of ultra-processed food (UPF) intake during pregnancy with infantile AD. METHODS: This study involved 861 pairs of pregnant women and their offspring from the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, a multi-center birth cohort project conducted in Korea. Dietary intake was estimated using a 24-h recall method at 12-28 weeks gestation. The NOVA classification was used to identify UPF, and UPF intake was calculated as the percentage of total energy consumption and categorized into quartiles. Infantile AD was assessed based on medical history and the criteria of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Associations were assessed by logistic regression with adjustment for confounding factors. RESULTS: Children born to mothers in the highest quartile of UPF consumption (15.5% or more of the total energy) compared to the lowest quartile (6.8% or less) showed a higher risk of AD within 12 months [odds ratio (OR) = 1.69; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.07-2.66, P for trend 0.0436]. After adjustment for the confounding factors under study, the association was strengthened; the adjusted OR between extreme quartiles was 2.19 (95% CI: 1.11-4.32, P for trend = 0.0418). This association was maintained even after an additional adjustment based on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI), an indicator of diet quality. CONCLUSIONS: Higher maternal consumption of UPF during pregnancy was associated with a greater risk of infantile AD within the first year of life.

Differential responses to cigarette package labeling alternatives among adults who smoke: Results from a randomized trial.

INTRODUCTION: Little experimental research has evaluated whether the effects of cigarette package inserts with efficacy messages and/or pictorial health warning labels (PHWLs) differ across key subgroups of adults who smoke. METHODS: Adults who reported currently smoking (n=367) were randomly assigned to one of four groups: small text-only health warning labels (HWLs) on pack sides (control); inserts with efficacy messages and small HWLs (inserts-only); PHWLs showing harms of smoking (PHWLs-only); both (inserts+PHWLs). Participants received a 14-day supply of cigarettes labeled to reflect their group. Every evening over two weeks, participants reported forgoing and stubbing out cigarettes before they finished smoking over the prior 24 hours, combined into a binary indicator of either behavior (e.g., forgoing/stubbing). Separate mixed-effects logistic models were estimated to evaluate moderation of labeling group contrasts (i.e., PHWLs vs not; inserts vs. not; inserts-only vs. inserts+PHWLs; PHWLs-only vs. inserts+PHWLs) by baseline covariates (self-efficacy to quit, intention to quit, education, health literacy, time discounting), predicting day-level forgoing/stubbing. RESULTS: Education moderated PHWL effects, with PHWLs predicting more forgoing/stubbing only among those with low education (OR=4.68, p<0.001). Time discounting moderated insert effects, with inserts promoting fogoing/stubbing only among those with low time discounting (i.e., lower impulsivity; OR=4.35, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Inserts with efficacy messages appear effective mostly among people with low time discounting, whereas PHWLs appear most effective amongst those with low education, suggesting their potential to address education-related disparities. Labeling strategies appeared equally effective across subgroups defined by self-efficacy to quit, quit intention, and health literacy. Combining inserts with PHWLs did not appear to mitigate moderation effects. IMPLICATIONS: This randomized trial with adults who smoke suggests that cigarette packs with inserts describing cessation benefits and tips can promote cessation-related behaviors (i.e., forgoing or stubbing out cigarettes) among those with low time discounting (i.e., low impulsivity). Alternative interventions may be needed for people with high time discounting, as found in cessation trials. Pictorial health warning labels (PHWLs) appear most effective among those with low education, potentially addressing education-related disparities. No differential effects were found for those with different levels of self-efficacy to quit, quit intentions, or health literacy. Combining inserts and PHWLs may not be more effective than either alone.

Satisfaction with Breasts Following Autologous Reconstruction: Assessing Associated Factors and the Impact of Revisions.

BACKGROUND: Autologous breast reconstruction (ABR) may confer higher patient reported outcomes than implant breast reconstruction, but an in-depth examination of factors associated with satisfaction after ABR is lacking. We aimed to determine independent predictors of 1-year Satisfaction with Breasts after ABR and assess the importance of elective procedures on satisfaction. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of patients who underwent abdominal-based ABR between 2010 and 2021 and completed the BREAST-Q Satisfaction with Breasts module at 1-year was performed. Elective procedures comprised of breast revision and nipple areolar complex (NAC) reconstruction. RESULTS: 959 patients were included. Satisfaction with Breasts score improved from 53 (IQR: 44 to 64) preoperatively to 64 (53 to 78) at 1-year postoperatively (p<0.001). Factors significantly associated with decreased postoperative score included lower preoperative scores (ß=0.19 [95% CI: 0.08, 0.31], p=0.001), older age (ß=-0.17 [-0.34, -0.01], p=0.042), Asian race (versus White, ß=-6.7 [-12, -1.7], p=0.008), and a history of psychiatric diagnoses (ß=-3.4 [-6.2, -0.66], p=0.015). Patients who received radiation (ß=-5.6 [-9.0, -2.3], p=0.001) or had mastectomy skin flap/nipple necrosis (ß=-3.8 [-7.6, -0.06], p=0.046) also had significantly decreased scores. Satisfaction with Breasts significantly improved after breast revision procedures (54 [42 to 65] to 65 [54 to 78], p<0.001) and NAC reconstruction (58 [47 to 71] to 67 [57 to 82], p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Multiple independent patient and treatment level factors are associated with lower 1-year Satisfaction with Breasts following ABR. Elective procedures have the potential to improve satisfaction. Understanding these findings is imperative for optimizing clinical decision making and managing expectations.

Unraveling interspecies cross-feeding during anaerobic lignin degradation for bioenergy applications.

Lignin, a major component of plant biomass, remains underutilized for renewable biofuels due to its complex and heterogeneous structure. Although investigations into depolymerizing lignin using fungi are well-established, studies of microbial pathways that enable anaerobic lignin breakdown linked with methanogenesis are limited. Through an enrichment cultivation approach with inoculation of freshwater sediment, we enriched a microbial community capable of producing methane during anaerobic lignin degradation. We reconstructed the near-complete population genomes of key lignin degraders and methanogens using metagenome-assembled genomes finally selected in this study (MAGs; 92 bacterial and 4 archaeal MAGs affiliated into 45 and 2 taxonomic groups, respectively). This study provides genetic evidence of microbial interdependence in conversion of lignin to methane in a syntrophic community. Metagenomic analysis revealed metabolic linkages, with lignin-hydrolyzing and/or fermentative bacteria such as the genera Alkalibaculum and Propionispora transforming lignin breakdown products into compounds such as acetate to feed methanogens (two archaeal MAGs classified into the genus Methanosarcina or UBA6 of the family Methanomassiliicoccaceae). Understanding the synergistic relationships between microbes that convert lignin could inform strategies for producing renewable bioenergy and treating aromatic-contaminated environments through anaerobic biodegradation processes. Overall, this study offers fundamental insights into complex community-level anaerobic lignin metabolism, highlighting hitherto unknown players, interactions, and pathways in this biotechnologically valuable process.

Self-reported attention and responses to cigarette package labels at the end of a two-week randomized trial of cigarette package labeling configurations.

INTRODUCTION: Cigarette package inserts that describe quitting benefits and tips may promote cessation; however, research is needed to understand better their effects, including potentially enhancing the effects of pictorial health warning labels (PHWLs). METHODS: A randomized trial with a 2×2 factorial design was conducted with adult smokers (n=356) assigned to either small text-only health warning labels (HWLs; control); inserts with cessation messages, and the small text-only HWLs (inserts-only); large PHWLs (PHWLs-only); both inserts and PHWLs (inserts + PHWLs). Participants received a 14-day supply of their preferred cigarettes with packs labeled to reflect their group. Upon finishing the trial, participants reported their past 14-day frequency of noticing, reading, thinking about smoking harms and cessation benefits, talking about labels, and forgoing cigarettes because of the labels. Ordered logistic models regressed these outcomes on labeling groups, and mediation analyses assessed whether attention (i.e. noticing, reading) to labels mediated effects of labeling exposure on other outcomes (i.e. thinking about harms/benefits, talking, forgoing). RESULTS: The inserts + PHWLs group reported higher frequencies than the control group for all outcomes. Compared to the control group, both the inserts-only and PHWLs-only groups reported higher frequency of noticing (AOR=3.53 and 2.46, respectively) and reading labels (AOR=2.89 and 1.71), thinking about smoking risks because of the labels (AOR=1.93 and 1.82), and talking about labels (AOR=2.30 and 2.70). Participants in the inserts-only group also reported more frequent thinking about quitting benefits (AOR=1.98). Attention mediated all labeling effects except for the contrast between PHWLs only and control. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to text-only HWLS, cigarette labeling that involves inserts, PHWLs, or both appears more effective at drawing attention to warnings, which mediated the effects on cessation-related psychosocial and behavioral outcomes.

Evaluating the Potential of Ozone Microbubbles for Inactivation of Tulane Virus, a Human Norovirus Surrogate.

This study investigated the efficacy of low-dose ozone microbubble solution and conventional aqueous ozone as inactivation agents against Tulane virus samples in water over a short period of time. Noroviruses are the primary cause of foodborne illnesses in the US, and the development of effective inactivation agents is crucial. Ozone has a high oxidizing ability and naturally decomposes to oxygen, but it has limitations due to its low dissolution rate, solubility, and stability. Ozone microbubbles have been promising in enhancing inactivation, but little research has been done on their efficacy against noroviruses. The study examined the influence of the dissolved ozone concentration, inactivation duration, and presence of organic matter during inactivation. The results showed that ozone microbubbles had a longer half-life (14 ± 0.81 min) than aqueous ozone (3 ± 0.35 min). After 2, 10, and 20 min postgeneration, the ozone concentration of microbubbles naturally decreased from 4 ppm to 3.2 ± 0.2, 2.26 ± 0.19, and 1.49 ± 0.23 ppm and resulted in 1.43 ± 0.44, 0.88 ± 0.5, and 0.68 ± 0.53 log10 viral reductions, respectively, while the ozone concentration of aqueous ozone decreased from 4 ppm to 2.52 ± 0.07, 0.43 ± 0.05, and 0.09 ± 0.01 ppm and produced 0.8 ± 0.28, 0.29 ± 0.41, and 0.16 ± 0.21 log10 reductions against Tulane virus, respectively (p = 0.0526), suggesting that structuring of ozone in the bubbles over the applied treatment conditions did not have a significant effect, though future study with continuous generation of ozone microbubbles is needed.

Effect of virtual reality-based biofeedback for depressive and anxiety symptoms: Randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: The use of virtual reality (VR)-based biofeedback (BF), a relatively new intervention, is a non-pharmacological treatment of depressive and anxiety symptoms. However, studies on VR-based BF are lacking and inconclusive. METHODS: A total of 131 adults were recruited from the community. Participants who scored ≥10 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) or ≥9 on the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS) were included in the group with depressive or anxiety symptoms (DAS group), and others as the healthy control group (HC group). Participants from the DAS group were randomly assigned to VR-based or conventional BF intervention. All individuals visited at three times (weeks 0, 2, and 4), and completed the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and a visual analog scale (VAS) before and after the intervention, and PHQ-9 at the beginning and final visit. RESULTS: The analysis included a total of 118 participants (DAS/VR: 40, DAS/BF: 38, HC/VR: 40). There was no significant difference in demographic variables among the three groups. After the intervention, the DAS/VR group exhibited significant decreases in MADRS (70.0 %), PHQ-9 (64.1 %), STAI (29.5 %), and VAS (61.7 %) scores compared to the baseline (p <0.001). There were no significant differences between the effects of VR-based BF and conventional BF with a therapist. The HC group also showed significant decreases in the measures of depression and anxiety after receiving VR-based BF. CONCLUSION: VR-based BF was effective in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms, even for subthreshold depression and anxiety symptoms in the HC group.

Enhancing Identification of High-Risk cN0 Lung Adenocarcinoma Patients Using MRI-Based Radiomic Features.

Purpose: To develop an MRI-based radiomics model to predict high-risk pathologic features for lung adenocarcinoma: micropapillary and solid pattern (MPsol), spread through air space (STAS), and poorly differentiated patterns. Materials and Methods: As a prospective study, we screened clinical N0 lung cancer patients who were surgical candidates and had undergone both 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography-CT (PET/CT) and chest CT from August 2018 to January 2020. We recruited patients meeting our proposed imaging criteria indicating high-risk, that is, poorer prognosis of lung adenocarcinoma, using CT and FDG PET/CT. If possible, these patients underwent an MRI examination from which we extracted 77 radiomics features from T1-contrast-enhanced and T2-weighted images. Additionally, patient demographics, SUVmax (maximum standardized uptake value) on FDG PET/CT, and the mean ADC value on DWI, were considered together to build prediction models for high-risk pathologic features. Results: Among 616 patients, 72 patients met the imaging criteria for high-risk lung cancer and underwent lung MRI. The MR-eligible group showed a higher prevalence of nodal upstaging (29.2% vs. 4.2%, p<0.001), vascular invasion (6.5% vs. 2.1%, p=0.011), high-grade pathologic features (p<0.001), worse 4-year disease free survival (p<0.001) compared with non-MR-eligible group. The prediction power for MR-based radiomics model predicting high-risk pathologic features was good, with mean area under the receiver operating curve (AUC) value measuring 0.751-0.886 in test sets. Adding clinical variables increased the predictive performance for MPsol and the poorly differentiated pattern using the 2021 grading system (AUC 0.860 and 0.907, respectively). Conclusion: Our imaging criteria can effectively screen high-risk lung cancer patients and predict high-risk pathologic features by our MR-based prediction model using radiomics.

Effect of Rumen-Protected L-Tryptophan or L-Ascorbic Acid on Plasma Metabolites and Milk Production Characteristics of Lactating Holstein Cows during Summer Conditions.

This study investigated the effects of rumen-protected L-tryptophan or L-ascorbic acid supplementation on the productivity of lactating Holstein cows during a high-temperature period. Thirty cows were assigned to three dietary groups: control (CON), treatment 1 (TRT 1; rumen-protected L-tryptophan, 20 g/cow/d), and treatment 2 (TRT 2; rumen-protected L-ascorbic acid, 20 g/cow/d). As the high-temperature period progressed, the decrease in milk yield and dry matter intake (DMI) in the TRT 1 and TRT 2 groups was lower than that in the CON group. The total protein level in the plasma of the TRT 1 group was higher than that in the CON group (p < 0.05). Milk melatonin concentration was higher in the TRT 1 group than in the CON and TRT 2 groups (p < 0.05). Thus, the present results indicate that rumen-protected L-tryptophan or L-ascorbic acid has positive effects in preventing declines in DMI and milk yield by reducing heat stress in Holstein cows. In particular, rumen-protected L-tryptophan is considered effective in increasing the melatonin concentration in milk.

Chryseobacterium gotjawalense sp. nov. Isolated from Soil in the Volcanic Forest Gotjawal, Jeju Island.

Strain wdc7T, a rod-shaped bacterium, was isolated from soil in the Gotjawal Forest on Jeju Island, South Korea. Strain wdc7T was Gram stain-negative, facultatively anaerobic, catalase- and oxidase positive, yellow pigmented, and non-flagellated. It grew at 4-37 °C and pH 5.0-8.0 in 0-3% (w/v) NaCl. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis revealed that strain wdc7T belonged to the genus Chryseobacterium and was most closely related to Chryseobacterium salivictor NBC 122T, with a sequence similarity of 98.51%. Menaquinone 6 was the sole respiratory quinone, and C15:0 anteiso, C15:0 iso, and summed feature 9 were the major fatty acids. The genome length was 3.30 Mbp, with a 37% G + C content. Average amino acid identity, average nucleotide identity, and digital DNA-DNA relatedness between strain wdc7T and C. salivictor NBC 122T were 93.52%, 92.80%, and 49.7%, respectively. Digital genomic and polyphasic analyses showed that strain wdc7T likely represented a new species of the genus Chryseobacterium. We proposed the name Chryseobacterium gotjawalense sp. nov., with wdc7T (= KCTC 92440T = JCM 35602T) as the type strain.

Heated tobacco product use frequency, smoking quit attempts, and smoking reduction among Mexican adult smokers.

INTRODUCTION: Heated tobacco products (HTPs) are promoted as less harmful than cigarettes; nonetheless, whether HTPs help smokers quit is uncertain. METHODS: Data from 4067 Mexican adult smokers surveyed longitudinally every four months (November 2019-March 2021) were analyzed. Mixed-effects multinomial models regressed HTP use frequency (no use=reference; monthly; weekly; and daily use) on sociodemographics and tobacco/nicotine-related variables. Among participants who completed at least two surveys (n=2900) over four months, the duration of their longest smoking quit attempt (SQA) between surveys (SQAs: <30 days; ≥30 days; no SQA=reference) was regressed on HTP use frequency, and changes in the number of cigarettes smoked per day were regressed on HTP initiation between surveys, adjusting for covariates. RESULTS: Consistent predictors of all HTP use frequencies (monthly, weekly, or daily vs no use) were daily smoking >5 cigarettes (ARRR=1.69 [95% CI: 1.12-2.55], 1.88 [95% CI: 1.26-2.81] and 6.46 [95% CI: 3.33-12.52], respectively); e-cigarette use (ARRR =5.68 [95% CI: 3.38-9.53], 6.54 [95% CI: 4.06-10.55] and 2.59 [95% CI: 1.26-5.30]); lower HTP risk perceptions (ARRR=2.12 [95% CI: 1.50-30.00], 2.25 [95% CI: 1.63-3.10] and 2.00 [95% CI: 1.25-3.22]); exposure to HTP information inside (ARRR=2.13 [95% CI: 1.44-3.15], 2.13 [95% CI: 1.49-3.05] and 3.72 [95% CI: 2.28-6.09]) and outside stores (ARRR=2.36 [95% CI: 1.56-3.57], 2.32 [95% CI: 1.65-3.25] and 2.44 [95% CI: 1.41-4.24]) where tobacco is sold; having family (ARRR=2.46 [95% CI: 1.54-3.91], 2.90 [95% CI: 1.93-4.37] and 2.96 [95% CI: 1.52-5.77]) and friends (ARRR=5.78 [95% CI: 3.60-9.30], 4.98 [95% CI: 3.22-7.72] and 6.61 [95% CI: 2.91-15.01]) who use HTPs. HTP use frequency was not associated with quit attempts, except for monthly HTP use predicting SQAs lasting ≥30 days (ARRR=2.12 [95% CI: 1.17-3.85]). Initiation of HTP use was not associated with changes in smoking frequency. Limiting analysis to those who intend to quit smoking also yielded null results. CONCLUSIONS: Among Mexican adult smokers, frequency of HTP use was mostly not associated with either cessation behaviors or changes in cigarette consumption, suggesting that HTPs have limited to no effectiveness for smoking cessation.

Risks of alopecia areata in long COVID: Binational population-based cohort studies from South Korea and Japan.

Previous studies have proposed alopecia areata (AA) as a potential outcome of COVID-19 infection among autoimmune diseases, yet the findings might be inconclusive and difficult to generalize due to limited sample sizes and evidence levels. Thus, we aimed to investigate in detail the long-term risk of AA following SARS-CoV-2 infection based on large, binational, general population-based cohort studies. Our study investigated the long-term AA risk after SARS-CoV-2 infection by analyzing bi-national, claim-based cohorts in South Korea and Japan: a Korean nationwide cohort (K-COV-N cohort; discovery cohort; total n = 10 027 506) and a Japanese claims-based cohort (JMDC cohort; validation cohort; total n = 12 218 680). AA was identified based on the international classification of diseases 10th revision code (L63) requiring at least three claims within 1 year. After exposure-driven propensity score matching, SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with an increased risk of incident AA (aHR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.38-1.99). This increased risk was observed and persisted for up to 6 months. A similar pattern was observed in the validation cohort. As modifiable factors, severe COVID-19 increased the risk of AA, whereas receiving two or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine before infection decreased the risk of AA. Through a bi-national cohort study in South Korea and Japan, SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with an elevated risk for incident AA in the aspect of long COVID.

Efficacy and Safety of WCFA19 (Weissella confusa WIKIM51) in Reducing Body Fat in Overweight and Obese Adults.

Background: WCFA19 (Weissella confusa WIKIM51), found during the fermentation of kimchi, is known for its inhibitory effects on body weight and body fat. This study looked at the impact of WCFA19 isolated from dandelion kimchi on weight loss in overweight and obese adults that are otherwise healthy. Methods: This study was conducted as a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study with 104 overweight and obese subjects. Subjects were randomized evenly into the test group (WCFA19, 500 mg, n = 40) or control group (n = 34) for 12 weeks from 14 June 2021 to 24 December 2021. Effects were based on DEXA to measure changes in body fat mass and percentage. Results: Among the 74 subjects analyzed, WCFA19 oral supplementation for 12 weeks resulted in a significant decrease in body fat mass of 633.38 ± 1396.17 g (p = 0.0066) in overweight and obese individuals in the experimental group. The control group showed an increase of 59.10 ± 1120.57 g (p = 0.7604), indicating a statistically significant difference between the two groups. There was also a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0448) in the change in body fat percentage, with a decrease of 0.41 ± 1.22% (p = 0.0424) in the experimental group and an increase of 0.17 ± 1.21% (p = 0.4078) in the control group. No significant adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Oral supplementation of 500 mg of WCFA19 for 12 weeks is associated with a decrease in body weight, particularly in body fat mass and percentage.

Hospital water environment and antibiotic use: Key factors in a nosocomial outbreak of carbapenemase-producing Serratia marcescens.

BACKGROUND: The healthcare water environment is a potential reservoir of carbapenem-resistant organisms (CROs). Here, we report the role of the water environment as a reservoir and the infection control measures applied to suppress a prolonged outbreak of Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing Serratia marcescens (KPC-SM) in two intensive care units (ICUs). METHODS: The outbreak occurred in the ICUs of a tertiary hospital from October 2020 to July 2021. Comprehensive patient contact tracing and environmental assessments were conducted, and a case-control study was performed to identify factors associated with the acquisition of KPC-SM. Associations among isolates were assessed via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Antibiotic usage was analyzed. . RESULTS: The outbreak consisted of two waves involving a total of 30 patients with KPC-SM. Multiple environmental cultures identified KPC-SM in a sink, a dirty utility room, and a communal bathroom shared by the ICUs, together with the waste bucket of a continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) system. The genetic similarity of the KPC-SM isolates from patients and the environment was confirmed by PFGE. A retrospective review of 30 cases identified that the use of CRRT and antibiotics were associated with acquisition of KPC-SM (p < 0.05). There was a continuous increase in the use of carbapenems; notably, the use of colistin has increased since 2019. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates that CRRT systems, along with other hospital water environments, are significant potential sources of resistant microorganisms, underscoring the necessity of enhancing infection control practices in these areas.

Modeling of solar UV-induced photodamage on the hair follicles in human skin organoids.

Solar ultraviolet (sUV) exposure is known to cause skin damage. However, the pathological mechanisms of sUV on hair follicles have not been extensively explored. Here, we established a model of sUV-exposed skin and its appendages using human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived skin organoids with planar morphology containing hair follicles. Our model closely recapitulated several symptoms of photodamage, including skin barrier disruption, extracellular matrix degradation, and inflammatory response. Specifically, sUV induced structural damage and catagenic transition in hair follicles. As a potential therapeutic agent for hair follicles, we applied exosomes isolated from human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells to sUV-exposed organoids. As a result, exosomes effectively alleviated inflammatory responses by inhibiting NF-κB activation, thereby suppressing structural damage and promoting hair follicle regeneration. Ultimately, our model provided a valuable platform to mimic skin diseases, particularly those involving hair follicles, and to evaluate the efficacy and underlying mechanisms of potential therapeutics.

Interpretable online network dictionary learning for inferring long-range chromatin interactions.

Dictionary learning (DL), implemented via matrix factorization (MF), is commonly used in computational biology to tackle ubiquitous clustering problems. The method is favored due to its conceptual simplicity and relatively low computational complexity. However, DL algorithms produce results that lack interpretability in terms of real biological data. Additionally, they are not optimized for graph-structured data and hence often fail to handle them in a scalable manner. In order to address these limitations, we propose a novel DL algorithm called online convex network dictionary learning (online cvxNDL). Unlike classical DL algorithms, online cvxNDL is implemented via MF and designed to handle extremely large datasets by virtue of its online nature. Importantly, it enables the interpretation of dictionary elements, which serve as cluster representatives, through convex combinations of real measurements. Moreover, the algorithm can be applied to data with a network structure by incorporating specialized subnetwork sampling techniques. To demonstrate the utility of our approach, we apply cvxNDL on 3D-genome RNAPII ChIA-Drop data with the goal of identifying important long-range interaction patterns (long-range dictionary elements). ChIA-Drop probes higher-order interactions, and produces data in the form of hypergraphs whose nodes represent genomic fragments. The hyperedges represent observed physical contacts. Our hypergraph model analysis has the objective of creating an interpretable dictionary of long-range interaction patterns that accurately represent global chromatin physical contact maps. Through the use of dictionary information, one can also associate the contact maps with RNA transcripts and infer cellular functions. To accomplish the task at hand, we focus on RNAPII-enriched ChIA-Drop data from Drosophila Melanogaster S2 cell lines. Our results offer two key insights. First, we demonstrate that online cvxNDL retains the accuracy of classical DL (MF) methods while simultaneously ensuring unique interpretability and scalability. Second, we identify distinct collections of proximal and distal interaction patterns involving chromatin elements shared by related processes across different chromosomes, as well as patterns unique to specific chromosomes. To associate the dictionary elements with biological properties of the corresponding chromatin regions, we employ Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis and perform multiple RNA coexpression studies.