Association of the new visceral adiposity index with coronary artery calcification and arterial stiffness in Korean population.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The new visceral adiposity index (NVAI) is an indirect marker of visceral adipose tissue recently developed using a Korean population. Here we examined the association of NVAI with coronary artery calcification and arterial stiffness in asymptomatic Korean patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We analyzed data from 60,938 asymptomatic Korean adults. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for coronary artery calcification score (CACS) > 100 and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) ≥14 m/s were calculated across NVAI tertiles using multiple logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and area under the curve (AUC) analyses were used to assess the ability of NVAI to predict moderate to high risk of cardiovascular disease. The prevalence of moderate and high risk of cardiovascular disease increased significantly as the NVAI tertile increased. The odds ratio (95% CI) of the highest NVAI tertile for CACS >100 was 5.840 (5.101-6.686) for men and 18.916 (11.232-31.855) for women, after adjusting for confounders. All NVAI AUC values were significantly higher than the AUC values for other visceral adiposity markers. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides the evidence that NVAI is independently and positively associated with coronary calcification and arterial stiffness in asymptomatic Korean adults.

Magnolin targeting of ERK1/2 inhibits cell proliferation and colony growth by induction of cellular senescence in ovarian cancer cells.

Ras/Raf/MEKs/ERKs and PI3 K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathways have key roles in cancer development and growth processes, as well as in cancer malignance and chemoresistance. In this study, we screened the therapeutic potential of magnolin using 15 human cancer cell lines and combined magnolin sensitivity with the CCLE mutaome analysis for relevant mutation information. The results showed that magnolin efficacy on cell proliferation inhibition were lower in TOV-112D ovarian cancer cells than that in SKOV3 cells by G1 and G2/M cell cycle phase accumulation. Notably, magnolin suppressed colony growth of TOV-112D cells in soft agar, whereas colony growth of SKOV3 cells in soft agar was not affected by magnolin treatment. Interestingly, phospho-protein profiles in the MAPK and PI3 K signaling pathways indicated that SKOV3 cells showed marked increase of Akt phosphorylation at Thr308 and Ser473 and very weak ERK1/2 phosphorylation levels by EGF stimulation. The phospho-protein profiles in TOV-112D cells were the opposite of those of SKOV3 cells. Importantly, magnolin treatment suppressed phosphorylation of RSKs in TOV-112D, but not in SKOV3 cells. Moreover, magnolin increased SA-ß-galactosidase-positive cells in a dose-dependent manner in TOV-112D cells, but not in SKOV3 cells. Notably, oral administration of Shin-Yi fraction 1, which contained magnolin approximately 53%, suppressed TOV-112D cell growth in athymic nude mice by induction of p16Ink4a and p27Kip1 . Taken together, targeting of ERK1 and ERK2 is suitable for the treatment of ovarian cancer cells that do not harbor the constitutive active P13 K mutation and the loss-of-function mutations of the p16 and/or p53 tumor suppressor proteins.

Accuracy of diagnostic tests for Helicobacter pylori in patients with peptic ulcer bleeding.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: To assess the validity of biopsy-based tests (histology, culture, and urease test) and serology in detecting current H. pylori infection for the peptic ulcer patients who had gastric bleeding. METHODS: A total of 398 peptic ulcer patients were enrolled and divided into two groups, according to the presence or absence of bleeding. The diagnosis for current H. pylori infection was verified using the gold standard combining individual H. pylori tests. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the culture, Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test (urease test), histology, and serology were compared. RESULTS: Of the total study population (N = 398), 157 (39.4%) patients were categorized into the bleeding group. The sensitivities of the culture (40.0%) and CLO (85.0%) in the bleeding group were significantly lower than culture (58.1%) and CLO (96.4%) in the nonbleeding group (p = .012 and p < .001, respectively). In the bleeding group, the sensitivity of CLO (85.0%) was significantly lower than histology (92.5%) and serology (97.4%) (p = .013 and p = .002, respectively), which was not found in the nonbleeding group. The specificity of serology in the bleeding group (56.3%) was significantly lower than that of nonbleeding group (74.2%) (p = .038). Similarly, the specificity of serology was significantly lower than the other H. pylori tests in the bleeders. CONCLUSIONS: Bleeding decreased the sensitivity of H. pylori tests in patients with peptic ulcer, especially in urease test or culture. In contrast, histology was found to be a quite reliable test, regardless of the presence of bleeding.

Liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for the quantification of styraxlignolide A in rat plasma.

Styraxlignolide A is a pharmacologically active ingredient isolated from Styrax japonica Sieb. et Zucc. A rapid, selective, and sensitive liquid chromatographic method with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry was developed for use in the quantification of styraxlignolide A in rat plasma. Styraxlignolide A was extracted from rat plasma using ethyl acetate at neutral pH. The analytes were separated on an Atlantis dC18 column using a mixture of methanol and ammonium formate (10 mM, pH 3.0) (70:30, v/v) and detected by tandem mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The standard curve was linear (r(2) =0.9978) over the concentration range of 100-10000 ng/mL. The lower limit of quantification was 100 ng/mL using 50 µL of plasma sample. The coefficient of variation and relative error for intra- and inter-assays at four QC levels were 1.6-8.3% and from -12.0 to -1.7%, respectively. The present method was applied successfully to the pharmacokinetic study of styraxlignolide A after intravenous administration of styraxlignolide A at a dose of 10 mg/kg in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Outcome in Patients Treated with Intra-arterial thrombectomy: The optiMAL Blood Pressure control (OPTIMAL-BP) Trial.

RATIONALE: Very early stage blood pressure (BP) levels may affect outcome in stroke patients who have successfully undergone recanalization following intra-arterial treatment, but the optimal target of BP management remains uncertain. AIM: We hypothesized that the clinical outcome after intensive BP-lowering is superior to conventional BP control after successful recanalization by intra-arterial treatment. SAMPLE-SIZE ESTIMATES: We aim to randomize 668 patients (334 per arm), 1:1. METHODS AND DESIGN: We initiated a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label trial with a blinded end-point assessment (PROBE) design. After successful recanalization (thrombolysis in cerebral infarction score ≥ 2 b), patients with elevated systolic BP level, defined as the mean of two readings ≥ 140 mmHg, will be randomly assigned to the intensive BP-lowering (systolic BP < 140 mm Hg) group or the conventional BP-lowering (systolic BP, 140-180 mm Hg) group. STUDY OUTCOMES: The primary efficacy outcomes are from dichotomized analysis of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at three months (mRS scores: 0-2 vs. 3-6). The primary safety outcomes are symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and death within three months. DISCUSSION: The OPTIMAL-BP trial will provide evidence for the effectiveness of active BP control to achieve systolic BP < 140 mmHg during 24 h in patients with successful recanalization after intra-arterial treatment. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04205305.

Direct Binding to NLRP3 Pyrin Domain as a Novel Strategy to Prevent NLRP3-Driven Inflammation and Gouty Arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The NLRP3 inflammasome is closely linked to the pathophysiology of a wide range of inflammatory diseases. This study was undertaken to identify small molecules that directly bind to NLRP3 in order to develop pharmacologic interventions for NLRP3-related diseases. METHODS: A structure-based virtual screening analysis was performed with ~62,800 compounds to select efficient NLRP3 inhibitors. The production of caspase 1-p10 and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) was measured by immunoblotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to examine NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Two gouty arthritis models and an air pouch inflammation model induced by monosodium urate monohydrate (MSU) crystal injection were used for in vivo experiments. Primary synovial fluid cells from gout patients were used to determine the relevance of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition in human gout. RESULTS: Beta-carotene (provitamin A) suppressed the NLRP3 inflammasome activation induced by various activators, including MSU crystals, in mouse bone marrow-derived primary macrophages (P < 0.05). Surface plasmon resonance analysis demonstrated the direct binding of ß-carotene to the pyrin domain (PYD) of NLRP3 (KD = 3.41 × 10-6 ). Molecular modeling and mutation assays revealed the interaction mode between ß-carotene and the NLRP3 PYD. Inflammatory symptoms induced by MSU crystals were attenuated by oral administration of ß-carotene in gouty arthritis mouse models (P < 0.05), correlating with its suppressive effects on the NLRP3 inflammasome in inflamed tissues. Furthermore, ß-carotene reduced IL-1ß secretion from human synovial fluid cells isolated from gout patients (P < 0.05), showing its inhibitory efficacy in human gout. CONCLUSION: Our results present ß-carotene as a selective and direct inhibitor of NLRP3, and the binding of ß-carotene to NLRP3 PYD as a novel pharmacologic strategy to combat NLRP3 inflammasome-driven diseases, including gouty arthritis.

Role of intestinal metaplasia subtyping in the risk of gastric cancer in Korea.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Gastric cancer is believed to develop by a multistage process. Intestinal metaplasia (IM) is regarded as a premalignant condition; it is classified into subtypes I, II and III. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the subtypes of IM were associated with progression to gastric cancer. METHODS: The study cohort consisted of 861 subjects, categorized as controls, gastric ulcers, dysplasia and cancer. The IM was scored histologically using the Sydney classification for the antrum and the body of the stomach. The biopsies were stained with high iron diamine and alcian blue (pH 2.5) (HID-AB2.5), and the IM was subtyped as I, II or III. RESULTS: The proportion of IM subtypes I, II and III were 14.5%, 47.2% and 38.3% in the antrum, and 28.1%, 57.8% and 14.1% in the body of the stomach, respectively. These distributions did not show significant differences depending on disease or Helicobacter pylori positivity. In cases that were H. pylori-positive, the prevalence of IM subtype II in the cancer and dysplasia groups was higher than in the control group in the body of the stomach (P < 0.05). The proportion of IM subtype III in the antrum increased in proportion with age (P = 0.036). CONCLUSIONS: IM subtyping was not found to play a major role in the prediction of gastric cancer development in Korea. IM subtype III was associated with aging, and IM subtype II appeared to be related to gastric carcinogenesis in the presence of H. pylori infection.

Premorbid exercise engagement and motor reserve in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Life-long experiences of cognitive activity could enhance cognitive reserve, which may lead individuals to show less cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease, despite similar pathological changes. We performed this study to test whether premorbid physical activity may enhance motor reserve in Parkinson's disease (PD) (i.e., less motor deficits despite similar degrees of dopamine depletion). METHODS: We assessed engagement in premorbid leisure-time exercise among 102 drug naive PD patients who had been initially diagnosed at our hospital by dopamine transporter scanning. Patients were classified into tertile groups based on the frequency, duration, and intensity of the exercises in which they participated. RESULTS: Among patients with mild to moderate reductions in striatal dopaminergic activity (above the median dopaminergic activity), the exercise group of the highest tertile showed significantly lower motor scores (i.e., fewer motor deficits, 15.53 ± 6.25), despite similar degrees of dopamine reduction, compared to the combined group of the middle and the lowest tertiles (21.57 ± 8.34, p = 0.01). Nonetheless, the highest tertile group showed a more rapid decline in motor function related to reductions in striatal dopaminergic activity than the other two groups (p = 0.002 with the middle tertile group and p = 0.001 with the lowest tertile group). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that engagement in premorbid exercise acts as a proxy for an active reserve in the motor domain (i.e., motor reserve) in patients with PD.

Mesenchymal stem cells can modulate longitudinal changes in cortical thickness and its related cognitive decline in patients with multiple system atrophy.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is an adult-onset, sporadic neurodegenerative disease. Because the prognosis of MSA is fatal, neuroprotective or regenerative strategies may be invaluable in MSA treatment. Previously, we obtained clinical and imaging evidence that mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) treatment could have a neuroprotective role in MSA patients. In the present study, we evaluated the effects of MSC therapy on longitudinal changes in subcortical deep gray matter volumes and cortical thickness and their association with cognitive performance. Clinical and imaging data were obtained from our previous randomized trial of autologous MSC in MSA patients. During 1-year follow-up, we assessed longitudinal differences in automatic segmentation-based subcortical deep gray matter volumes and vertex-wise cortical thickness between placebo (n = 15) and MSC groups (n = 11). Next, we performed correlation analysis between the changes in cortical thickness and changes in the Korean version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores and cognitive performance of each cognitive subdomain using a multiple, comparison correction. There were no significant differences in age at baseline, age at disease onset, gender ratio, disease duration, clinical severity, MoCA score, or education level between the groups. The automated subcortical volumetric analysis revealed that the changes in subcortical deep gray matter volumes of the caudate, putamen, and thalamus did not differ significantly between the groups. The areas of cortical thinning over time in the placebo group were more extensive, including the frontal, temporal, and parietal areas, whereas these areas in the MSC group were less extensive. Correlation analysis indicated that declines in MoCA scores and phonemic fluency during the follow-up period were significantly correlated with cortical thinning of the frontal and posterior temporal areas and anterior temporal areas in MSA patients, respectively. In contrast, no significant correlations were observed in the MSC group. These results suggest that MSC treatment in patients with MSA may modulate cortical thinning over time and related cognitive performance, inferring a future therapeutic candidate for cognitive disorders.

Pharmacokinetics of a novel antiangiogenic agent KR-31831 in rats.

This study reports the absorption, dose-linearity and pharmacokinetics of a novel antiangiogenic agent KR-31831 in rats after i.v. and oral administration at doses of 5, 10 and 25 mg/kg on both occasions. Concentrations of KR-31831 were determined by a validated LC/MS/MS assay method. After i.v. injection, plasma concentration-time profiles showed multi-compartmental characteristics, and there were no significant differences in Cl (20.8-27.7 ml/min/kg) and dose-normalized AUC (178.1-231 microg x min/ml based on the 5 mg/kg dose) as a function of dose. However, Vss was significantly increased at the 25 mg/kg dose (4931 ml/kg) compared with those (2288-2421 ml/kg) at lower doses. Subsequently, t1/2 was increased from 143-159 min at the lower doses to 304 min at the 25 mg/kg dose. The altered VSS was found to be a result of reduced plasma protein binding at relatively high concentrations. Following oral administration (doses 5-25 mg/kg), the absolute oral bioavailability ranged from 37.8% to 46.3%, and there were no significant alterations in dose-normalized AUC, Tmax, Cmax and t1/2 as a function of dose. The extent of urinary excretion was low for both i.v. (0.35%-0.54%) and oral (0.13%-0.33%) doses. Further discussions on the chemical and microsomal stability were included. In conclusion, dose-independent absorption kinetics were observed at oral doses from 5 to 25 mg/kg in rats. Orally administered KR-31831 could be eliminated mainly by the liver metabolic pathway.