Gut microbiota composition and metabolite profiling in smokers: a comparative study between emphysema and asymptomatic individuals with therapeutic implications.

BACKGROUND: Diet has a crucial role in the gut microbiota, and dysbiosis in the gut and lungs has been suggested to be associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We compared the diet, microbiome and metabolome between asymptomatic smokers and those with emphysema. METHODS: We enrolled 10 asymptomatic smokers with preserved lung function and 16 smokers with emphysema with severe airflow limitation. Dietary intake information was gathered by a self-reported questionnaire. Sputum and faecal samples were collected for microbial and metabolomics analysis. A murine model of emphysema was used to determine the effect of metabolite supplementation. RESULTS: Despite having a similar smoking history with emphysema patients, asymptomatic smokers had higher values of body mass index, fibre intake and faecal acetate level. Linear discriminant analysis identified 17 microbial taxonomic members that were relatively enriched in the faeces of asymptomatic smokers. Analysis of similarity results showed dissimilarity between the two groups (r=0.287, p=0.003). Higher acetate level was positively associated with forced expiratory volume in one second in the emphysema group (r=0.628, p=0.012). Asymptomatic smokers had a greater number of species associated with acetate and propionate (r>0.6) than did those with emphysema (30 vs 19). In an emphysema mouse model, supplementation of acetate and propionate reduced alveolar destruction and the production of proinflammatory cytokines, and propionate decreased the CD3+CD4+IL-17+ T-cell population in the lung and spleen. CONCLUSION: Smokers with emphysema showed differences in diet, microbiome and short-chain fatty acids compared with asymptomatic smokers. Acetate and propionate showed therapeutic effects in a smoking-induced murine model of emphysema.

Does kimchi deserve the status of a probiotic food?

Kimchi is a traditional fermented vegetable side dish in Korea and has become a global health food. Kimchi undergoes spontaneous fermentation, mainly by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) originating from its raw ingredients. Numerous LAB, including the genera Leuconostoc, Weissella, and Lactobacillus, participate in kimchi fermentation, reaching approximately 9-10 log colony forming units per gram or milliliter of food. The several health benefits of LAB (e.g., antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) combined with their probiotic potential in complex diseases including obesity, cancer, atopic dermatitis, and immunomodulatory effect have generated an interest in the health effects of LAB present in kimchi. In order to estimate the potential of kimchi as a probiotic food, we comprehensively surveyed the health functionalities of kimchi and kimchi LAB, and their effects on human gut environment, highlighting the probiotics function.

Phenotyping COPD Patients with Emphysema Distribution Using Quantitative CT Measurement; More Severe Airway Involvement in Lower Dominant Emphysema.

Purpose: We explored the differences in clinical manifestations of COPD patients regarding emphysema distribution along with evidence of airway involvement in chest computed tomography (CT) scans. Patients and Methods: The patients were divided into three groups according to the emphysema distribution: the upper dominant (UD), lower dominant (LD), and homogeneous (HD) groups. Airway wall thickness was quantitatively measured and the presence of bronchiectasis and/or bronchial wall thickening (BE/BWT) was visually assessed. Baseline characteristics including the evidence of airway involvement and long-term outcomes were compared among the three groups. Non-severe patients of each group were first treated with 3 months of ICS/LABA combination after 2 weeks of wash-out period and lung functions before and after the treatment were compared. Results: Of the 425 patients, 141 were in the UD, 107 in LD, and 177 in HD. The LD had more severe airway obstruction with lower emphysema index (EI) than the UD (LD vs UD; FEV1, 49.5-14.9 vs 54.6-16.5; EI, 21.0 [IQR: 14.0-33.1] vs 26.3 [IQR: 15.8-39.0]). The LD showed thicker airways (higher WA% and Pi10) and more severe air trapping (higher RV and RV/TLC) than UD. A larger proportion of patients in LD had BE/BWT (35.5% in LD vs 11.3% in UD). In LD, more patients experienced acute exacerbations and the time to first exacerbation was shorter than UD. Non-severe patients in LD treated with 3 months of ICS/LABA combined inhalers showed a notable reduction of RV than UD (LD vs UD; -531.1-936.5 vs -86.5-623.5). Conclusion: The LD showed a more prominent airway involvement than UD, which may cause more frequent exacerbations and a marked reduction of RV after the ICS/LABA combination treatment in LD. Phenotyping of the COPD patients using quantitatively measured emphysema distribution would be useful for predicting treatment response and exacerbation.

Probiotic Lactobacilli ameliorate alcohol-induced hepatic damage via gut microbial alteration.

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which includes fatty liver, cirrhosis, steatosis, fibrosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, is a global health problem. The probiotic effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are well-known; however, their protective effect against ALD remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, our objective was to assess the protective effects of LAB on ALD. To this end, mice were fed either a normal diet or an alcohol diet for 10 days (to induce ALD) accompanied by vehicle treatment (the NC and AC groups) or kimchi-derived LAB (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DSR J266 and Levilactobacillus brevis DSR J301, the AL group; or Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG, the AG group). Our results showed that mice in the AC group showed significantly higher serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels than those in the normal diet groups; however, their levels in the AL and AG groups were relatively lower. We also observed that the AL and AG groups showed relatively lower interleukin-6 levels than the AC group. Additionally, AC group showed the accumulation of several fat vesicles in the liver, while the AL and AG groups showed remarkably lower numbers of fat vesicles. The relative abundance of Enterococcus feacalis, which showed association with liver injury, significantly increased in the AC group compared with its levels in the normal diet groups. However, the AG group showed a decreased relative abundance in this regard, confirming that LAB exerted an improvement effect on gut microbial community. These findings suggested that via gut microbiota alteration, the ingestion of LAB can alleviate the ill effects of alcohol consumption, including inflammation, liver damage, gut dysbiosis, and abnormal intestinal nutrient metabolism.

Brachybacterium kimchii sp. nov. and Brachybacterium halotolerans subsp. kimchii subsp. nov., isolated from the Korean fermented vegetables, kimchi, and description of Brachybacterium halotolerans subsp. halotolerans subsp. nov.

Two Gram-stain-positive, oxidase-negative, catalase-positive, and coccus-shaped bacterial strains, designated CBA3104T and CBA3105T, were isolated from kimchi. Strain CBA3104T and CBA3105T grew at 10-35°C (optimum, 25°C and 30°C, respectively), at pH 6.0-8.5 (optimum, pH 6.5), and in the presence of 0-15% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 5%). A phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain CBA3104T formed a distinct phylogenetic lineage within the genus Brachybacterium whereas strain CBA3105T was closely positioned with Brachybacterium halotolerans MASK1Z-5T. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity between strains CBA3104T and CBA3105T was 99.9%, but ANI and dDDH values between strains CBA3104T and CBA3105T were 93.61% and 51.5%, respectively. Strain CBA3104T showed lower ANI and dDDH values than species delineation against three closely related strains and type species of the genus Brachybacterium, however, strain CBA3105T showed 96.63% ANI value and 69.6% dDDH value with Brachybacterium halotolerans MASK1Z-5T. Among biochemical analysis results, strain CBA3104T could uniquely utilize bromo-succinic acid whereas only strain CBA3105T was positive for alkaline phosphatase and α-fucosidase among two novel strains, closely related strains, and type species of the genus Brachybacterium. Compared with strain CBA3105T and Brachybacterium halotolerans JCM 34339T, strain CBA3105T was differentially positive for acid production of D-arabinose, D-adonitol, and potassium 5-ketogluconate and enzyme activity of ß-glucuronidase. Both strains contained menaquinone-7 as the dominant quinone. The cell-wall peptidoglycan of two novel strains contained meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major fatty acids of strains CBA3104T and CBA3105T were anteiso-C15:0, anteiso-C17:0, and iso-C16:0. The major polar lipids of both strains were phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. Strain CBA3104T possessed a uniquely higher abundance of tRNA (97 tRNAs) than four Brachybacterium strains used for comparative taxonomic analysis (54-62 tRNAs). Both the CBA3104T and CBA3105T strain harbored various oxidoreductase, transferase, hydrolase, and lyase as strain-specific functional genes compared to closely related strains and Brachybacterium type species. The results of biochemical/physiological, chemotaxonomic, and genomic analyses demonstrated that strains CBA3104T and CBA3105T represent a novel species of the genus Brachybacterium and a novel subspecies of B. halotolerans, respectively, for which the names Brachybacterium kimchii sp. nov. and B. halotolerans subsp. kimchii subsp. nov. are proposed. The type strains of the novel species and the novel subspecies are CBA3104T (= KCCM 43417T = JCM 34759T) and CBA3105T (= KCCM 43418T =JCM 34760T), respectively.

Improving anticancer effect of aPD-L1 through lowering neutrophil infiltration by PLAG in tumor implanted with MB49 mouse urothelial carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The PD-L1 antibody is an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) attracting attention. The third-generation anticancer drug has been proven to be very effective due to fewer side effects and higher tumor-specific reactions than conventional anticancer drugs. However, as tumors produce additional resistance in the host immune system, the effectiveness of ICI is gradually weakening. Therefore, it is very important to develop a combination therapy that increases the anticancer effect of ICI by removing anticancer resistance factors present around the tumor. METHODS: The syngeneic model was used (n = 6) to investigate the enhanced anti-tumor effect of PD-L1 antibody with the addition of PLAG. MB49 murine urothelial cancer cells were implanted into the C57BL/6 mice subcutaneously. PLAG at different dosages (50/100 mpk) was daily administered orally for another 4 weeks with or without 5 mpk PD-L1 antibody (10F.9G2). PD-L1 antibody was delivered via IP injection once a week. RESULTS: The aPD-L1 monotherapy group inhibited tumor growth of 56% compared to the positive group, while the PLAG and aPD-L1 co-treatment inhibited by 89%. PLAG treatment effectively reduced neutrophils infiltrating localized in tumor and converted to a tumor microenvironment with anti-tumor effective T-cells. PLAG increased tumor infiltration of CD8 positive cytotoxic T-cell populations while effectively inhibiting the infiltration of neoplastic T-cells such as CD4/FoxP3. Eventually, neutrophil-induced tumor ICI resistance was resolved by restoring the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio to the normal range. In addition, regulation of cytokine and chemokine factors that inhibit neutrophil infiltration and increase the killing activity of cytotoxic T cells was observed in the tumors of mice treated with PLAG + aPD-L1. CONCLUSIONS: PLAG effectively turned the tumor-promoting microenvironment into a tumor-suppressing microenvironment. As a molecule that increases the anti-tumor effectiveness of aPD-L1, PLAG has the potential to be an essential and effective ICI co-therapeutic agent.

Sala cibi gen. nov., sp. nov., an extremely halophilic archaeon isolated from solar salt.

Two novel halophilic archaeal strains, CBA1133T and CBA1134, were isolated from solar salt in South Korea. The 16S rRNA gene sequences of the isolates were identical to each other and were closely related to the genera Natronomonas (92.3-93.5%), Salinirubellus (92.2%), Halomarina (91.3-92.0%), and Haloglomus (91.4%). The isolated strains were coccoid, Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, oxidase-positive, and catalase-negative. Growth occurred under temperatures of 25-50°C (optimum, 45°C), NaCl levels of 10-30% (optimum, 15%), pH levels of 6.0-8.5 (optimum, 7.0), and MgCl2 concentrations of 0-500 mM (optimum, 100 mM). Digital DNA-DNA hybridization values between the strains and related genera ranged from 18.3% to 22.7%. The major polar lipids of the strains were phosphatidyl glycerol, phosphatidyl glycerol phosphate methyl ester, and phosphatidyl glycerol sulfate. Genomic, phenotypic, physiological, and biochemical analyses of the isolates revealed that they represent a novel genus and species in the family Halobacteriaceae. The type strain is CBA1133T (= KACC 22148T = JCM 34265T), for which the name Sala cibi gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed.

PLAG co-treatment increases the anticancer effect of Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide in a triple-negative breast cancer xenograft mouse model.

Chemotherapy induces tumor cell death and inhibits tumor progression, but the accompanying immune responses in the surrounding dying tissue cause significant inflammation. These responses, such as excessive neutrophil infiltration into tumor tissue, are the main causes of resistance to anticancer treatment. The development of drugs that reduce neutrophil infiltration into tumors is necessary to increase the anticancer effect of chemotherapy. Here, we show that the antitumor effect of the chemotherapy AC regimen (Adriamycin and cyclophosphamide) was increased by 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-3-acetyl-rac-glycerol (PLAG) cotreatment in the MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer xenograft mouse model. Tumor growth was inhibited up to 56% in mice treated with AC and inhibited up to 94% in mice cotreated with AC and PLAG. Side effects of chemotherapy, such as a reduction in body weight, were alleviated in mice cotreated with AC and PLAG. Excessive neutrophil infiltration caused by the AC regimen was successfully cleared in mice cotreated with AC and PLAG. We conclude that PLAG inhibits excessive neutrophil infiltration that aids tumor growth. Reduced neutrophils and increased lymphocytes in PLAG-treated mice can maximize the antitumor effect of the AC regimen and inhibit tumor growth.

Suppression of tumor progression by thioredoxin-interacting protein-dependent adenosine 2B receptor degradation in a PLAG-treated Lewis lung carcinoma-1 model of non-small cell lung cancer.

Extracellular adenosine in the tumor microenvironment plays a vital role in cancer development. Specifically, activation of adenosine receptors affects tumor cell growth and adenosine release. We examined the anti-tumor efficacy of 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-3-acetyl-rac-glycerol (PLAG) in animal models, revealing the role of PLAG in inhibiting tumor progression by promoting the degradation of adenosine 2B receptors (A2BRs) in tumors. PLAG induced the expression of thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP), a type of α-arrestin that accelerates A2BR internalization by interacting with A2BR complexes containing ß-arrestin. Engulfed receptors bound to TXNIP were rapidly degraded after E3 ligase recruitment and ubiquitination, resulting in early termination of intracellular signals that promote tumor overgrowth. However, in control cancer cells, A2BRs bound to protein phosphatase 2A and were returned to the cell membrane instead of being degraded, resulting in continuous receptor-mediated signaling by pathways including the Raf-Erk axis, which promotes tumor proliferation. A TXNIP-silenced cell-implanted mouse model and TXNIP knockout (KO) mice were used to verify that PLAG-mediated suppression of tumor progression is dependent on TXNIP expression. Increased tumor growth was observed in TXNIP-silenced cell-implanted mice, and the anti-tumor effects of PLAG, including delayed tumor overgrowth, were greatly reduced. However, the anti-tumor effects of PLAG were observed in cancer cell-implanted TXNIP-KO mice, which indicates that PLAG produces anti-tumor effects by enhancing TXNIP expression in tumor cells. These essential functions of PLAG, including delaying tumor growth via A2BR degradation, suggest innovative directions for anticancer drug development.

Protective Effect of Agmatine Against Cisplatin- Induced Cellular Apoptosis in an Auditory Cell Line.

BACKGROUND: The aims of this study were to evaluate the protective effects of agmatine against cisplatin-induced cellular apoptosis in an audi- tory cell line and to prove the protective mechanism of agmatine. METHODS: The House Ear Institute-Organ of Corti 1 cells were co-treated with agmatine at different concentrations and 15 µM of cisplatin for 48 hours. Cell viability and proliferation were measured. Annexin V-fluorescein isothiocyanate /propidium iodide staining was performed to analyze apoptosis. The levels of intracellular reactive oxygen species were measured using flow cytometry. The expression of BCL2-associated X protein and the enzymatic activity of caspase-3 was measured to examine the pathway of apoptosis induction. RESULTS: In normal conditions, the maximal protective effect occurred with 10 mM of agmatine. However, in the presence of cisplatin, the maximal protective effect was observed from 8 mM of agmatine. Thus, 8 mM was chosen as the ideal agmatine concentration for the analysis of protective effects against cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity. Agmatine exerted a significant protective effect against 15 µM of cisplatin when applied for 48 hours and reduced the proportion of necrotic and late apoptotic cells. Agmatine did not significantly reduce the cisplatin-induced increase in reactive oxygen species but decreased the expression of BCL2-associated X protein and the activity of caspase-3. CONCLUSION: Agmatine protected against cisplatin-induced cellular apoptosis in an auditory cell line. These effects were mediated by the pro- tection of mitochondrial function and inhibition of apoptosis.

PLAG alleviates cisplatin-induced cachexia in lung cancer implanted mice.

Chemotherapy-induced cachexia has been a significant challenge to the successful treatment of cancer patients. Chemotherapy leads to loss of muscle, loss of appetite, and excessive weight loss, which makes these necessary treatments intolerable for most patients. Therefore, it is necessary to alleviate cachexia to successfully treat cancer patients. In this study, tumor-implanted mouse models administered cisplatin showed rapid weight loss and reduced feeding rate by the second week of treatment, and 1-palmitoyl-2-linoleoyl-3-acetyl-rac-glycerol (PLAG) effectively alleviated cisplatin-induced cachexia. In mice treated with cisplatin on a sacrificial day after 6 weeks, the weight of the two major leg muscles (quadriceps femoris and gastrocnemius) were reduced by up to 70%, but this muscle reduction was successfully prevented in the PLAG co-treatment group. The distribution and size of muscle fibers that appear in small units in cisplatin-treated mice were restored to normal levels by PLAG co-treatment. Furthermore, myostatin expression levels were upregulated by cisplatin, whereas myostatin decreased to normal levels with muscle recovery in the PLAG co-treated group. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), which are commonly expressed in cachexia, were significantly increased in cisplatin-treated mice but were reduced to normal levels in PLAG co-treated mice. Glucose absorption, an indicator of muscle tissue activity, decreased with cisplatin treatment and recovered to normal levels with PLAG co-treatment. Overall, PLAG effectively alleviated cisplatin-induced cachexia symptoms and reduced tumor growth in tumor-implanted mice. These findings suggest PLAG may be a promising drug to alleviate cachexia in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

Clinical Impact of the Bronchiectasis with Chronic Bronchitis Symptoms in COPD: Analysis of a Longitudinal Cohort.

PURPOSE: Bronchiectasis (BE) is a poor prognostic factor in COPD. However, it is not clear whether the poor prognosis is a result of BE alone or accompanying chronic bronchitis symptoms. Therefore, we investigated the effect of chronic bronchitis symptoms on clinical outcomes in COPD patients with BE. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed data of COPD patients from the Korean Obstructive Lung Disease (KOLD) cohort. The presence of BE was verified by chest computed tomography. Chronic bronchitis symptoms were determined using items in the symptomatic domain of the SGRQ, which is also used as an alternative definition of chronic bronchitis (CB). Patients were divided into four groups according to the presence of BE and CB symptoms: BE/CB, BE-only, CB-only, and no BE/CB. Demographic features and clinical outcomes were compared among these groups. RESULTS: In total, 389 COPD patients were included in the analysis. BE was present in 148 (38%) patients and CB symptoms were found in 123 patients (33.2%). The patients were divided according to BE and CB symptoms, and the numbers and percentages of each group were as follows: BE/CB, 52 (13.4%); BE-only, 96 (24.7%); CB-only, 77 (19.8%); no BE/CB, 164 (42.2%). No significant differences were observed in baseline characteristics of lung function, radiological findings, and inflammatory markers among the four groups. The proportion of annual exacerbators was higher in the BE/CB and CB-only groups than the other two groups. After adjusting other parameters, the BE/CB group was significantly associated with acute exacerbation of COPD (AE-COPD) (OR = 2.110, p = 0.045). CONCLUSION: BE accompanying CB symptoms is associated with AE-COPD, while BE alone was not significantly associated. This finding suggests that it is more important to examine chronic bronchitis symptoms of BE to predict acute exacerbation than simply to identify BE in COPD patients.

Aminipila terrae sp. nov., a strictly anaerobic bacterium isolated from river sediment.

In this study, aimed at investigating and characterizing river sediment bacteria, we isolated a Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, obligate anaerobic bacterium, strain CBA3637T, from the sediment of the Geum River. This strain grew at 10-40 °C (optimum, 30 °C), 0-1% NaCl (optimum, 0%), and pH 7-8 (optimum, pH 7). The 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison revealed Aminipila butyrica DSM 103574T to be the closest relative of strain CBA3637T (96.6-96.7% similarity); and both strains clustered together in phylogenetic analysis. The genome of strain CBA3637T was found to consist of a single chromosome (3.51 Mbp; 36.98% G + C content). Comparative genomic analysis of the strain CBA3637T with A. butyrica DSM 103574T revealed that strain CBA3637T possessed five unique pathways related to polyamine biosynthesis, lipopolysaccharide metabolism, pyrimidine metabolism, and cofactor and vitamin metabolism. Strain CBA3637T contained C14:0, C16:0, and C18:1 ω9c as the major fatty acids, and diphosphatidylglycerol as the major polar lipid. No respiratory quinone was observed. Biochemical, chemotaxonomic, and genotypic data revealed that the strain CBA3637T is a representative of a novel species within the genus Aminipila, for which the name Aminipila terrae is proposed. The type strain is CBA3637T (= KACC 21651T = DSM 110662T).

Anaerocolumna sedimenticola sp. nov., isolated from fresh water sediment.

Strain CBA3638T was isolated from the Geum River sediment, Republic of Korea. The cells of strain CBA3638T were Gram-stain-positive, strictly anaerobic, rod-shaped, and 0.5-1.0 µm wide, and 4.0-4.5 µm long. Optimal growth occurred at 37 °C, pH 7.0, and 1.0% (w/v) NaCl. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, the phylogenetic analysis showed that strain CBA3638T belongs to the genus Anaerocolumna in the family Lachnospiraceae, and is most closely related to Anaerocolumna cellulosilytica (94.6-95.0%). The DDH value with A. cellulosilytica SN021T showed 15.0% relatedness. The genome of strain CBA3638T consisted of one circular chromosome that is 5,500,435 bp long with a 36.7 mol% G + C content. The genome contained seven 16S-5S-23S rRNA operons and one antibiotic resistance-related transporter gene (mefA). Quinones were not detected. The predominant cellular fatty acids were C16:0 and C14:0 and the polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, and uncharacterised polar lipids. Based on the polyphasic taxonomic analysis, we propose strain CBA3638T as a novel species in the genus Anaerocolumna, with the name Anaerocolumna sedimenticola sp. nov. The type strain is CBA3638T (= KACC 21652T = DSM 110663T).

High-fiber diets attenuate emphysema development via modulation of gut microbiota and metabolism.

Dietary fiber functions as a prebiotic to determine the gut microbe composition. The gut microbiota influences the metabolic functions and immune responses in human health. The gut microbiota and metabolites produced by various dietary components not only modulate immunity but also impact various organs. Although recent findings have suggested that microbial dysbiosis is associated with several respiratory diseases, including asthma, cystic fibrosis, and allergy, the role of microbiota and metabolites produced by dietary nutrients with respect to pulmonary disease remains unclear. Therefore, we explored whether the gut microbiota and metabolites produced by dietary fiber components could influence a cigarette smoking (CS)-exposed emphysema model. In this study, it was demonstrated that a high-fiber diet including non-fermentable cellulose and fermentable pectin attenuated the pathological changes associated with emphysema progression and the inflammatory response in CS-exposed emphysema mice. Moreover, we observed that different types of dietary fiber could modulate the diversity of gut microbiota and differentially impacted anabolism including the generation of short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, and sphingolipids. Overall, the results of this study indicate that high-fiber diets play a beneficial role in the gut microbiota-metabolite modulation and substantially affect CS-exposed emphysema mice. Furthermore, this study suggests the therapeutic potential of gut microbiota and metabolites from a high-fiber diet in emphysema via local and systemic inflammation inhibition, which may be useful in the development of a new COPD treatment plan.

The Impact of Changes in the Intake of Fiber and Antioxidants on the Development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

Diet is a health-related factor that can modify lung function. This study hypothesized that the change in age-related dietary intake affects lung function. The subjects who undertook a dietary assessment and spirometry in 2012 and 2017, were retrospectively collected in a health screening center. Dietary intakes were directly evaluated using food frequency questionnaires (FFQ) administered by trained dietitians and were compared at the baseline (2012) and 5-year follow-up (2017). A forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) value below 0.70 was defined as airflow limitation. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the odds ratio (ORs) adjusted for potential confounders. A total of 1439 subjects with normal spirometry were enrolled. New airflow limitations were detected in 48 subjects (3.3%) at the 5-year follow-up, including 41 (85.4%) men and 11 (22.9%) current smokers. After adjusting for age, sex, smoking history, and baseline FEV1/FVC, the odd ratios (OR) for new airflow limitation in fiber, vitamin C, and folic acid per 10% decrease in daily recommended requirement were 2.714 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.538-4.807; p = 0.001), 1.083 (95% CI: 1.020-1.149; p = 0.007), and 1.495 (95% CI: 1.172-1.913; p = 0.001), respectively. A decreased intake of dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folic acid is associated with a newly developed airflow limitation.

Fecal microbial transplantation and a high fiber diet attenuates emphysema development by suppressing inflammation and apoptosis.

Recent work has suggested a microbial dysbiosis association between the lung and gut in respiratory diseases. Here, we demonstrated that gut microbiome modulation attenuated emphysema development. To modulate the gut microbiome, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and diet modification were adopted in mice exposed to smoking and poly I:C for the emphysema model. We analyzed the severity of emphysema by the mean linear intercept (MLI) and apoptosis by the fluorescent TUNEL assay. Microbiome analysis was also performed in feces and fecal extracellular vesicles (EVs). The MLI was significantly increased with smoking exposure. FMT or a high-fiber diet (HFD) attenuated the increase. Weight loss, combined with smoking exposure, was not noted in mice with FMT. HFD significantly decreased macrophages and lymphocytes in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Furthermore, IL-6 and IFN-γ were decreased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum. The TUNEL score was significantly lower in mice with FMT or HFD, suggesting decreased cell apoptosis. In the microbiome analysis, Bacteroidaceae and Lachnospiraceae, which are alleged to metabolize fiber into short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), increased at the family level with FMT and HFD. FMT and HFD attenuated emphysema development via local and systemic inhibition of inflammation and changes in gut microbiota composition, which could provide a new paradigm in COPD treatment.

Haloplanus rubicundus sp. nov., an extremely halophilic archaeon isolated from solar salt.

Two extremely halophilic archaea strains, CBA1112T and CBA1113, were isolated from solar salt in Korea. The genome sizes and G+C content of CBA1112T and CBA1113 were 3.77 and 3.53Mb, and 66.0 and 66.5mol%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis based on closely related taxa and environmental Haloplanus sequences indicated that both CBA1112T and CBA1113 strains are grouped within the genus Haloplanus. OrthoANI and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values were below the species delineation threshold. Pan-genomic analysis showed that the two novel strains and four reference strains had 6203 pan-orthologous groups in total. Six Haloplanus strains shared 1728 core pan-genome orthologous groups, which were mainly associated with amino acid transport and metabolism and translation, ribosomal structure and biogenesis categories, and amino acid metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism related categories. The novel strain-specific pan-genome orthologous groups were mainly involved with replication, recombination and repair category and replication and repair pathway or amino acid metabolism pathway. Cells of both strains were Gram-negative and pleomorphic, and colonies were red-pigmented. The major polar lipids of both strains were phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl ester, phosphatidylglycerol sulfate, and one glycolipid, sulfated mannosyl glucosyl diether. Based on genomic, phylogenetic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic features, strains CBA1112T and CBA1113 are described as novel species of the genus Haloplanus. Thus, we propose the name Haloplanus rubicundus sp. nov. The type strain is CBA1112T (=KCCM 43224T=JCM 30475T).

Clinical Utility of Quantitative CT Analysis for Fissure Completeness in Bronchoscopic Lung Volume Reduction: Comparison between CT and Chartis™.

OBJECTIVE: The absence of collateral ventilation (CV) is crucial for effective bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR) with an endobronchial valve. Here, we assessed whether CT can predict the Chartis™ results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 69 patients (mean age: 70.9 ± 6.6 years; 66 [95.7%] males) who had undergone CT to assess BLVR eligibility. The Chartis™ system (Pulmonox Inc.) was used to check CV. Experienced thoracic radiologists independently determined the completeness of fissures on volumetric CT images. RESULTS: The comparison between the visual and quantitative analyses revealed that 5% defect criterion showed good agreement. The Chartis™ assessment was performed for 129 lobes; 11 (19.6%) of 56 lobes with complete fissures on CT showed positive CV, while this rate was significantly higher (40 of 49 lobes, i.e., 81.6%) for lobes with incomplete fissures. The size of the fissure defect did not affect the rate of CV. Of the patients who underwent BLVR, 22 of 24 patients (91.7%) with complete fissures and three of four patients with incomplete fissures (75%) achieved target lobe volume reduction (TLVR). CONCLUSION: The quantitative analysis of fissure shows that incomplete fissures increased the probability of CV on Chartis™, while the defect size did not affect the overall rates. TLVR could be achieved even in some patients with relatively large fissure defect, if they showed negative CV on Chartis™.

Paracoccus jeotgali sp. nov., isolated from Korean salted and fermented shrimp.

A Gram-stain-negative and facultatively aerobic bacterium, designated as strain CBA4604T, was isolated from a traditional Korean salted and fermented shrimp food (saeu-jeot). Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain CBA4604T formed a clearly distinct phyletic lineage from closely related species within the genus Paracoccus. Strain CBA4604T was the most closely related to P. koreensis Ch05T (97.5% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity) and other type strains (≤ 97.0%). The genome comprised a chromosome and two plasmids of 3,299,166 bp with 66.5% G+C content. The DNA-DNA relatedness values between strain CBA4604T and P. koreensis Ch05T, P. alcaliphilus DSM 8512T, and P. stylophorae KTW-16T were 30.5%, 22.9%, and 16.7%, respectively. Cells of the strain were short rod-shaped and oxidase- and catalase-positive. The growth of strain CBA-4604T was observed at 10-40°C (optimum, 37°C), pH 6.0-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.0), and in the presence of 0-8.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 0-2.0%). Strain CBA4604T contained ubiquinone 10 as the sole isoprenoid quinone and summed feature 8 (C18:1ω7c/C18:1ω6c) and C18:0 as the major cellular fatty acids. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phospholipid, an unidentified aminolipid, an unidentified glycolipid, and three unidentified lipids. Based on its phylogenetic, genomic, phenotypic, and chemotaxonomic features, we concluded that strain CBA-4604T represents a novel species in the genus Paracoccus and we propose the name Paracoccus jeotgali sp. nov. The type strain is CBA4604T (= KACC 19579T = JCM 32510T).