A new feather mite species of the genus Mycterialges Gaud & Atyeo, 1981 (Acari, Xolalgidae) from the Oriental Stork, Ciconiaboyciana (Ciconiiformes, Ciconiidae) in Korea.

A new feather mite species, Mycterialgesboycianaesp. nov. (Xolalgidae), was identified from the Oriental Stork, Ciconiaboyciana Swinhoe, 1873, in Korea. Males of M.boycianaesp. nov. are distinguished from Mycterialgesmesomorphus Gaud & Atyeo, 1981, in having a single triangular prodorsal shield, sinuous margins of the opisthosoma located between setae e2 and h2 on the hysteronotal shield, an oval-shaped epiandrum without posterior extensions, a shorter tibia + tarsus IV than femoragenu IV, and an absent ambulacral disc of leg IV. Females differ in having a prodorsal shield with a posterior margin that is blunt-angular, and a concave posterior margin of the hysteronotal shield with posterior extensions. This study presents the first record of the feather mite genus Mycterialges in birds of the genus Ciconia (Ciconiidae). Additionally, we determined the phylogenetic relationship among Ingrassiinae using the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit (COI).

Initial updosing phase of oral immunotherapy improves quality of life and psychological burden in parents of children with food allergy.

Background: Oral immunotherapy (OIT) can impose psychological burdens on patients and their parents due to the necessary preparations and repeated adverse reactions. Objective: To investigate changes in quality of life (QoL) and psychological burden in parents of children receiving OIT for food allergy (FA). Methods: Children aged 3-13 years with FA were enrolled. Parents were asked to fill out the Korean versions of the Food Allergy Quality of Life-Parental Burden (FAQL-PB), the Korean versions of the Food Allergy Quality of Life-Parental Form (K-FAQLQ-PF), the Korean versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (K-BAI), and the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression before OIT (T1), after 2 months of updosing (T2), and after the end of the updosing phase (T3). Results: A total of 111 parents were enrolled. The total FAQL-PB scores were decreased at T2 and T3 compared with those at T1 (all p < 0.001). Greater improvement in the total FAQL-PB score at T2 was noted in parents with a higher parental burden (FAQL-PB score ≥ 74 points) at baseline than in those with a lower parental burden (p = 0.001). Among the K-FAQLQ-PF domains, "food anxiety" scores were decreased at T2 and T3 compared with those at T1 (p = 0.049 and p = 0.030, respectively), whereas there was no change in "social and dietary limitation" and "emotional impact" scores between T1 and T2 and between T1 and T3. However, no differences were observed in K-BAI and PHQ-9 scores between T1 and T2 and between T1 and T3. Conclusion: Our results suggest that OIT improves parental burden and QoL in parents of children with FA.

Skin biomarkers predict the development of food allergy in early life.

BACKGROUND: Food allergy (FA) often occurs in early childhood with and without atopic dermatitis (AD). FA can be severe and even fatal. For primary prevention, it is important to find early biomarkers to predict the future onset of FA before any clinical manifestations. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to find early predictors of future onset of FA in the stratum corneum (SC). METHODS: Skin tape strips were collected from the forearm of newborns (n = 129) at age 2 months, before any signs of clinical FA or AD. Children were clinically monitored until they reached age 2 years to confirm the presence or absence of FA and AD. Skin tape strips were subjected to lipidomic analyses by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and cytokine determination by Meso Scale Discovery U-Plex assay. RESULTS: Overall, 9 of 129 infants (7.0%) developed FA alone and 9 of 129 infants (7.0%) developed FA concomitantly with AD. In the stratum corneum of children with future FA and concomitant AD and FA, absolute amounts of unsaturated (N24:1)(C18-sphingosine)ceramide and (N26:1)(C18-sphingosine)ceramide and their relative percentages within the molecular group were increased compared with the amounts and percentages in healthy children, with P values ranging from less than .01 to less than .05 according to ANOVA. The children with future AD had normal levels of these molecules. IL-33 level was upregulated in those infants with future FA but not in those with future AD, whereas thymic stromal lymphopoietin was upregulated in those with future AD but not in those with future FA. Logistic regression analysis revealed strong FA predicting power for the combination of dysregulated lipids and cytokines, with an odds ratio reaching 101.4 (95% CI = 5.4-1910.6). CONCLUSION: Noninvasive skin tape strip analysis at age 2 months can identify infants at risk of FA in the future.

Postpartum Maternal Anxiety Affects the Development of Food Allergy Through Dietary and Gut Microbial Diversity During Early Infancy.

PURPOSE: We aimed to investigate the mediating factors between maternal anxiety and the development of food allergy (FA) in children until 2 years from birth. METHODS: In this longitudinal cohort of 122 mother-child dyads from pregnancy to 24 months of age, we regularly surveyed maternal psychological states, infant feeding data, and allergic symptoms and collected stool samples at 6 months of age for microbiome analysis. Considering the temporal order of data collection, we investigated serial mediating effects and indirect effects among maternal anxiety, dietary diversity (DD), gut microbial diversity, and FA using structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Among the 122 infants, 15 (12.3%) were diagnosed with FA. Increased maternal anxiety between 3 and 6 months after delivery was associated with a lower DD score. Infants with low DD at 4 months showed low gut microbial richness, which was associated with FA development. When the infants were grouped into 4 subtypes, using consensus clustering of 13 gut bacteria significantly associated with maternal anxiety and DD, Prevotella, Eubacterium, Clostridiales and Lachnospiraceae were more abundant in the group with lower FA occurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Postpartum maternal anxiety, mediated by reduced DD and gut microbial diversity, may be a risk factor for the development of FA in infants during the first 2 years of life.

Validity and Reliability of the Korean Versions of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Child Form and Teenager Form.

We aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Korean versions of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Child Form (K-FAQLQ-CF) and the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Teenager Form (K-FAQLQ-TF). Patients aged 8-17 years with food allergy (FA) were enrolled and completed the Korean versions of the questionnaires, including the K-FAQLQ-CF, the Food Allergy Independent Measure-Child Form (K-FAIM-CF), and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ (K-PedsQL™ 4.0) for children and the K-FAQLQ-TF, the Food Allergy Independent Measure-Teenager Form (K-FAIM-TF), and the K-PedsQL™ 4.0 for adolescents. We enrolled 56 children and 23 adolescents in this study. The K-FAQLQ-CF showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient = 0.969) and an excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.914, P = 0.011). There was a moderate correlation between the K-FAQLQ-CF and K-FAIM-CF scores (ß = 0.736, P < 0.001), indicating construct validity. The K-FAQLQ-CF score was weakly associated with the K-PedsQL™ 4.0 score (ß = -0.289, P = 0.031), verifying convergent and discriminant validities. The K-FAQLQ-TF also showed a good internal consistency (Cronbach's α coefficient = 0.966) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.974, P = 0.005). Construct validity was also established by a moderate correlation with the K-FAIM-TF (ß = 0.699, P < 0.001). Our results suggest that the K-FAQLQ-CF and K-FAQLQ-TF are valid and reliable tools to evaluate the quality of life of children and adolescents with FA in Korea.

Clinical effect of Pediococcus acidilactici PMC48 on hyperpigmented skin.

BACKGROUND: The excessive production and accumulation of melanin in the epidermal skin layer can result in skin hyperpigmentation and darkening. Current technologies for regulating melanin are based on inhibiting melanin biosynthesis. They have low effectiveness and safety issues. AIMS: This study aimed to evaluate the potential role of Pediococcus acidilactici PMC48 as a probiotic strain in medicines and cosmetics for skin treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Meanwhile, our research team has reported that P. acidilactici PMC48 strain isolated from sesame leaf kimchi can directly decompose the already synthesized melanin. It can also inhibit melanin biosynthesis. In the present study, we investigated the skin-whitening effect of this strain by arranging an 8-week clinical trial with 22 participants. PMC48 was applied to each participant's artificially UV-induced tanned skin in the clinical trial. Its whitening effect was investigated based on visual evaluation, skin brightness, and melanin index. RESULTS: PMC48 showed a significant effect on the artificially induced pigmented skin. The color intensity of the tanned skin was decreased by 47.647%, and skin brightness was increased by 8.098% after the treatment period. PMC48 also significantly decreased the melanin index by 11.818%, indicating its tyrosinase inhibition capacity. Also, PMC48 improved skin moisture content level by 20.943%. Additionally, 16S rRNA-based amplicon sequencing analysis showed a distinct increase in Lactobacillaceae in the skin by up to 11.2% at the family level without affecting other skin microbiota. Furthermore, it showed no toxicity in in vitro or in vivo analyses. DISCUSSION: These results indicate that P. acidilactici PMC48 is a promising probiotic strain that can be used to develop medicines and cosmetic products to solve skin-related problems. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that P. acidilactici PMC48 can be a potential probiotic for the cosmetic industry against different skin disorders.

Practical issues of oral immunotherapy for egg or milk allergy.

Oral immunotherapy (OIT) has been recommended to reduce parental burden related to strict allergen avoidance and induce desensitization and immune tolerance for patients with long-lasting allergies to hen's eggs (HE) or cow's milk (CM). OIT should be monitored by pediatric allergists specializing in OIT and oral food challenge tests to manage allergic reactions. Although a previous history of anaphylaxis or multiple food allergies is not a contraindication to OIT, it is contraindicated if the patient has uncontrolled asthma, a malignancy, active systemic autoimmune disorders, or diseases requiring treatment with beta-blockers. A variety of OIT protocols have been de veloped to ensure better outcomes and safe up-dosing, including adjunctive therapies with biologics. This review provides insight into the practical issues of various immunotherapy options for children with HE or CM allergies.

Loss of Cutibacterium is responsible for chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus in patients on dialysis.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated pruritus is a severe distressing condition that frequently occurs in patients undergoing dialysis. In this study, the profile of the skin microbiome was analyzed to understand the underlying etiology and potential treatments. Methods: Seventy-six end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients (hemodialysis, 40; peritoneal dialysis, 36) and 15 healthy controls were enrolled and swabbed at three sites: back, antecubital fossa, and shin. The pruritus severity of the enrolled subjects was validated by the Worst Itch Numeric Rating Scale (WI-NRS), 5-D itch scale, and Uremic Pruritus in Dialysis Patients (UP-Dial). The 16S gene-based metagenomics method was applied to skin microbiome analysis. Results: In the comparison of bacterial communities of ESKD patients and the control group, there was a significant difference on back. Specifically, the average composition ratio of the Cutibacterium in the back samples was significantly lower in ESKD patients than in healthy controls (p < 0.01). In further analysis of ESKD patients, Cutibacterium was significantly lower in the high pruritus group than in the low pruritus group (p < 0.05), even though other clinical parameters such as age, calcium-phosphorus product, and intact parathyroid hormone showed no significance difference between the groups. Conclusion: In ESKD patients, the skin microbiome of the back was significantly altered, and the severity of itching was related to the reduction of Cutibacterium. This research reveals the relationship between skin microbiota and CKD-associated pruritus in multiple skin sites for the first time. The results of this study suggest a potential data basis for the diagnosis and treatment of CKD-associated pruritus.

Long-term stable wireless smart contact lens for robust digital diabetes diagnosis.

Wearable devices for digital continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) have attracted great attention as a new paradigm medical device for diabetes management. However, the relatively inaccurate performance and instability of CGM devices have limited their wide applications in the clinic. Here, we developed hyaluronate (HA) modified Au@Pt bimetallic electrodes for long-term accurate and robust CGM of smart contact lens. After glucose oxidation reaction, the bimetallic electrodes facilitated the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and charge transfer for robust CGM. The passivation of Au@Pt bimetallic electrode with branch-type thiolated HA prevented the dissolution of Au electrode by chloride ions in tears. In diabetic and normal rabbits, the smart contact lens with HA-Au@Pt bimetallic electrodes enabled the high correlation (ρ = 0.88) CGM with 98.6% clinically acceptable data for 3 weeks. Taken together, we could confirm the feasibility of our smart contact lens for long-term CGM for further clinical development.

Biochemical Recurrence in Prostate Cancer Is Associated with the Composition of Lactobacillus: Microbiome Analysis of Prostatic Tissue.

Many human pathologies, such as malignancy, are linked with specific bacteria and changes in the constituents of the microbiome. In order to examine the association between an imbalance of bacteria and prostate carcinoma, a comparison of the microbiomes present in patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) or NO BCR (NBCR) was performed. Additionally, 16S rRNA-based next-generation sequencing was applied to identify the bacterial profiles within these tumors in terms of the bacteria and operational genes present. The percentage average taxonomic composition between the taxa indicated no difference between BCR and NBCR. In addition, alpha and beta diversity indices presented no distinction between the cohorts in any statistical method. However, taxonomic biomarker discovery indicated a relatively higher population of Lactobacillus in the NBCR group, and this finding was supported by PCR data. Along with that, differences in the operational activity of the bacterial genes were also determined. It is proposed that the biochemical recurrence was linked to the quantity of Lactobacillus present. The aim of this study was to investigate the microbiome involved in prostate carcinoma and the potential association between them.

Genome-scale metabolic modeling and in silico analysis of opportunistic skin pathogen Cutibacterium acnes.

Cutibacterium acnes, one of the most abundant skin microbes found in the sebaceous gland, is known to contribute to the development of acne vulgaris when its strains become imbalanced. The current limitations of acne treatment using antibiotics have caused an urgent need to develop a systematic strategy for selectively targeting C. acnes, which can be achieved by characterizing their cellular behaviors under various skin environments. To this end, we developed a genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) of virulent C. acnes, iCA843, based on the genome information of a relevant strain from ribotype 5 to comprehensively understand the pathogenic traits of C. acnes in the skin environment. We validated the model qualitatively by demonstrating its accuracy prediction of propionate and acetate production patterns, which were consistent with experimental observations. Additionally, we identified unique biosynthetic pathways for short-chain fatty acids in C. acnes compared to other GEMs of acne-inducing skin pathogens. By conducting constraint-based flux analysis under endogenous carbon sources in human skin, we discovered that the Wood-Werkman cycle is highly activated under acnes-associated skin condition for the regeneration of NAD, resulting in enhanced propionate production. Finally, we proposed potential anti-C. acnes targets by using the model-guided systematic framework based on gene essentiality analysis and protein sequence similarity search with abundant skin microbiome taxa.

Psychological Distress and Perceived Burden in Parents of Korean Children With IgE-Mediated Food Allergy.

BACKGROUND: Food allergy (FA) can have a profound effect on quality of life (QoL), stress, and anxiety in the family. We aimed to validate the Korean version of the Food Allergy Quality of Life-Parental Burden (FAQL-PB) and identify factors related to the parental psychosocial burden of caring for children with FAs. METHODS: Parents of children aged between 6 months and 17 years with immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated FAs from the Pediatric Allergy Department of five university hospitals in Korea were enrolled in the study. Parents were asked to complete the FAQL-PB, Food Allergy Independent Measure-Parent Form (FAIM-PF), Child Health Questionnaire-Parents Form 28 (CHQ-PF28), Beck's Anxiety Inventory, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 for depression. Statistical analyses included internal consistency, test-retest reliability, concurrent validity, discriminative validity, and logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: A total of 190 parents were enrolled. Social activity limitation was the item with the highest FAQL-PB scores. The Cronbach's α for each item was higher than 0.8. The test-retest reliability was good (intra-class correlation coefficient, 0.716; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.100-0.935). An increase in the FAQL-PB was significantly associated with an increase in the FAIM-PF (ß = 0.765, P < 0.001) (concurrent validity). There was a positive correlation between parental burden, anxiety, and depression, while resilience was inversely correlated with parental burden (all P < 0.001). The total FAQL-PB score in parents of children who had experienced anaphylaxis was significantly higher than that in parents of children who did not experience it (P = 0.008). When adjusting for age, sex, and underlying diseases, anaphylaxis (ß = 9.32; 95% CI, 2.97 to 15.68), cow's milk (CM) allergy (ß = 8.24; 95% CI, 2.04 to 14.44), soybean allergy (ß = 13.91; 95% CI, 1.62 to 26.20), higher anxiety (ß = 1.05; 95% CI, 0.07 to 1.41), higher depression (ß = 2.15; 95% CI, 1.61 to 2.69), and lower resilience (ß = -0.42; 95% CI, -0.61 to -0.2) were significantly associated with greater parental burden in children with IgE-mediated FAs. CONCLUSION: FAQL-PB is a reliable and valid tool for use in Korea. Anaphylaxis, CM or soybean allergies, more anxiety and depression symptoms, and lower resilience are associated with poorer QoL in parents of children with FAs.

Bacterial Aetiology of Neonatal Sepsis and Antimicrobial Resistance Pattern at the Regional Referral Hospital, Dar es Salam, Tanzania; A Call to Strengthening Antibiotic Stewardship Program.

The diagnosis of neonatal sepsis in lower-income countries is mainly based on clinical presentation. The practice necessitates empirical treatment with limited aetiology and antibiotic susceptibility profile knowledge, prompting the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance. We conducted a cross-sectional study to determine the aetiology of neonatal sepsis and antimicrobial resistance patterns. We recruited 658 neonates admitted to the neonatal ward with signs and symptoms of sepsis and performed 639 automated blood cultures and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Around 72% of the samples were culture positive; Gram-positive bacteria were predominantly isolated, contributing to 81%. Coagulase-negative Staphylococci were the most isolates, followed by Streptococcus agalactiae. Overall, antibiotic resistance among Gram-positive pathogens ranged from 23% (Chloramphenicol) to 93% (Penicillin) and from 24.7% (amikacin) to 91% (ampicillin) for Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, about 69% of Gram-positive and 75% of Gram-negative bacteria were multidrug-resistant (MDR). We observed about 70% overall proportion of MDR strains, non-significantly more in Gram-negative than Gram-positive pathogens (p = 0.334). In conclusion, the pathogen causing neonatal sepsis in our setting exhibited a high resistance rate to commonly used antibiotics. The high rate of MDR pathogens calls for strengthening antibiotic stewardship programs.

Ultrasensitive Near-Infrared InAs Colloidal Quantum Dot-ZnON Hybrid Phototransistor Based on a Gradated Band Structure.

Amorphous metal oxide semiconductor phototransistors (MOTPs) integrated with colloidal quantum dots (QDs) (QD-MOTPs) are promising infrared photodetectors owing to their high photoconductive gain, low off-current level, and high compatibility with pixel circuits. However, to date, the poor mobility of conventional MOTPs, such as indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), and the toxicity of lead (Pb)-based QDs, such as lead sulfide and lead selenide, has limited the commercial applications of QD-MOTPs. Herein, an ultrasensitive QD-MOTP fabricated by integrating a high-mobility zinc oxynitride (ZnON)-based MOTP and lead-free indium arsenide (InAs) QDs is demonstrated. A new gradated bandgap structure is introduced in the InAs QD layer that absorbs infrared light, which prevents carriers from moving backward and effectively reduces electron-hole recombination. Chemical, optical, and structural analyses confirm the movement of the photoexcited carriers in the graded band structure. The novel QD-MOTP exhibits an outstanding performance with a responsivity of 1.15 × 105 A W-1 and detectivity of 5.32 × 1016 Jones at a light power density of 2 µW cm-2 under illumination at 905 nm.

Stratum corneum lipid and cytokine biomarkers at age 2 months predict the future onset of atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: Atopic dermatitis (AD) commonly occurs in children and can progress into severe phenotypes or atopic march, causing significant impairment in quality of life. It is important to find early biomarkers of future onset of AD before any clinical manifestations. OBJECTIVE: We sought to find early predictors of future onset of AD in skin stratum corneum (SC). METHODS: Skin tape strips were collected from the forearm of newborns (n = 111) with and without family history of atopic diseases at the age of 2 months before any signs of clinical AD. Children were clinically monitored until they reached age 2 years to ensure the presence or absence of AD. Skin tape strips were subjected to lipidomic analyses by the liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and cytokine determination by Meso Scale Discovery U-Plex assay. RESULTS: Overall, 22 of 74 (29.7%) and 5 of 37 (13.5%) infants developed AD in the risk group and the control group, respectively. In the SC of future AD children, protein-bound ceramides were decreased (P < .001), whereas unsaturated sphingomyelin species (P < .0001) and "short-chain" nonhydroxy fatty acid sphingosine and alpha-hydroxy fatty acid sphingosine ceramides were elevated (P < .01 and .05, respectively) as compared with healthy children. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin and IL-13 levels were increased in the SC of future AD subjects (by 74.5% and 78.3%, P = .0022 and P < .0001, respectively). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed strong AD predicting power of the combination of family history, type 2 cytokines, and dysregulated lipids, with an odds ratio reaching 54.0 (95% CI, 9.2-317.5). CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive skin tape strip analysis at age 2 months can identify asymptomatic children at risk of future AD development with a high probability.

The Effects of Iron Deficiency on the Gut Microbiota in Women of Childbearing Age.

Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is the most prevalent and common nutritional deficiency worldwide and is a global health problem with significant risk, particularly among women of reproductive age. Oral iron supplementation is the most widely used and cost-effective treatment for iron deficiency and IDA. However, there are limitations regarding side effects such as enteritis, treatment compliance, and bioavailability. Intestinal microbiome characteristic research has been recently conducted to overcome these issues, but more is needed. Against this background, a metagenomics study on the 16S gene in the feces of young women vulnerable to IDA was conducted. As a result of analyzing 16 normal subjects and 15 IDA patients, significant differences in bacterial community distribution were identified. In particular, a significant decrease in Faecalibacterium was characteristic in IDA patients compared with normal subjects. Furthermore, in the case of patients who recovered from IDA following iron supplementation treatment, it was confirmed that Faecalibacterium significantly recovered to normal levels. However, no significance in beta diversity was seen compared with before treatment. There were also no differences in the beta diversity results between the recovered and normal subjects. Therefore, intestinal dysbiosis during the disease state was considered to be restored as IDA improved. Although the results were derived from a limited number of subjects and additional research is needed, the results of this study are expected to be the basis for developing treatment and prevention strategies based on host-microbiome crosstalk in IDA.

Malignant Prostate Tissue Is Associated with Different Microbiome Gene Functions.

Specific microorganisms and changes in the constituents of the microbiome are linked with pathologies in humans, such as malignancy. Within the prostate, certain bacterial communities may locate advantageous conditions and establish themselves, thus outperforming alternative species. In this study, a comparison of malignant (MT) and benign prostate tissues (BT) or benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) was performed in order to delineate the respective microbiomes in each sample type and to determine their pertinence to prostatic tumourigenesis. Specimens of MT (n = 26) and PT (n = 13)/BPH (n = 10) were acquired from patients. No variations in the make-up of the microbiome were seen when MT and PT specimens were compared. Changes in the bacterial constituents and functional genes were seen in the specimens obtained from patients with MT when contrasted against samples from those with BPH. Pelomonas was the genus with the highest abundance in MT specimens. It is proposed that dissimilar microbiome gene functions are present in the contexts of MT and PT samples.

Quality of Life in Food Allergy: Validation of the Korean Version of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire Parent Form (K-FAQLQ-PF) and Risk Factor Analysis.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire-Parent Form (K-FAQLQ-PF) and to identify clinical characteristics related to low quality of life (QoL) in Korean children with food allergy (FA). METHODS: Parents of 0-12-year-old patients with FA were enrolled. The English version of FAQLQ-PF was translated into Korean. Construct validation was confirmed by the Food Allergy Independent Measure-Parent Form (FAIM-PF) and the Child Health Questionnaire Parent Form 28 (CHQ-PF28). Logistic regression analyses were used to evaluate associations between potential risk factors and QoL outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 182 patients with a median age of 5.0 years were enrolled in the study. Cronbach's α coefficient values indicating internal consistency were higher than 0.8. Intraclass correlation coefficient values for test-retest reliability were good for all age groups (r > 0.6). Total K-FAQLQ-PF scores were positively correlated with the FAIM-PF (r = 0.56, P < 0.05) and were negatively correlated with the parental impact-emotional domain in the CHQ-PF28 (r = -0.44, P < 0.05). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, low QoL was significantly associated with female sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.07; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-4.18), age ≥ 5 years (aOR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.31-6.16), FA diagnosis before the age of 3 years (aOR, 3.96; 95% CI, 1.13-13.93), the presence of atopic dermatitis (aOR, 2.21; 95% CI, 1.07-4.57), and residence in non-metropolitan areas (aOR, 3.44; 95% CI, 1.73-6.85). CONCLUSIONS: According to parental perceptions, the K-FAQLQ-PF is a valid and reliable tool to assess psychosocial QoL in Korean children with FAs. Age, sex, residential area, and comorbid AD can affect the QoL of pediatric patients with FA.

Characterization of Fecal Microbiomes of Osteoporotic Patients in Korea.

An imbalanced gut microbiome has been linked to a higher risk of many bone-related diseases. The objective of this study was to discover biomarkers of osteoporosis (OP). So, we collected 76 stool samples (60 human controls and 16 OP patients), extracted DNA, and performed 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene-based amplicon sequencing. Among the taxa with an average taxonomic composition greater than 1%, only the Lachnospira genus showed a significant difference between the two groups. The Linear Discriminant Effect Size analysis and qPCR experiments indicated the Lachnospira genus as a potential biomarker of OP. Moreover, a total of 11 metabolic pathways varied between the two groups. Our study concludes that the genus Lachnospira is potentially crucial for diagnosing and treating osteoporosis. The findings of this study might help researchers better understand OP from a microbiome perspective. This research might develop more effective diagnostic and treatment methods for OP in the future.

In Vivo Efficacy of Bacillus velezensis Isolated from Korean Gochang Bokbunja Vinegar against Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infections.

Outbreaks of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), especially Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP), are commonly reported as severe infections in hospitals and long-term care settings, and their occurrence is increasing globally. Conventional antibiotics used for treating CRE have become ineffective due to resistance development. Furthermore, their safety issues restrict their availability and use for CRE treatment. Therefore, developing new drugs different from existing drugs to combat this deadly menace is urgently needed. Probiotics can be a potential option in this context, as probiotics' efficacy against a variety of infectious illnesses has already been well established. Here, we report the effect of the Bacillus velezensis strain isolated from Gochang Bokbunja vinegar in Korea on CRE infection using two mouse models. Data showed that pretreatment with B. velezensis significantly reduced body weight loss and mortality of CRKP-infected mice in the preventive model. The oral administration of B. velezensis in a therapeutic model also decreased the mortality and illness severity in CRKP-infected mice. Moreover, a two-week oral acute toxicity assay in guinea pigs did not reveal any aberrant clinical signs. Our findings demonstrate the potential effectiveness of our candidate probiotic strain, B. velezensis, against CRKP, suggesting that it could be used as an antimicrobial agent for treating CRKP-related infections.