Atmosphere particulate matter and respiratory diseases during COVID-19 in Korea.

We aimed to examine the impact of COVID-19 non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) on the relationship between air pollutants and hospital admissions for respiratory and non-respiratory diseases in six metropolitan cities in South Korea. This study compared the associations between particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) and hospital admission for respiratory and non-respiratory diseases before (2016-2019) and during (2020) the implementation of COVID-19 NPIs by using distributed lag non-linear models. In the Pre-COVID-19 period, the association between PM10 and admission risk for asthma and COPD showed an inverted U-shaped pattern. For PM2.5, S-shaped and inverted U-shaped changes were observed in asthma and COPD, respectively. Extremely high and low levels of PM10 and extremely low levels of PM2.5 significantly decreased the risk of admission for asthma and COPD. In the Post-COVID-19 outbreak period, the overall cumulative relationship between PM10 and PM2.5 and respiratory diseases and the effects of extreme levels of PM10 and PM2.5 on respiratory diseases were completely changed. For non-respiratory diseases, PM10 and PM2.5 were statistically insignificant for admission risk during both periods. Our study may provide evidence that implementing NPIs and reducing PM10 and PM2.5 exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to reducing hospital admissions for environment-based respiratory diseases.

Nationwide Trends in Non-COVID-19 Infectious Disease Laboratory Tests in the Era of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Korea.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has brought significant changes to infectious disease management globally. This study explored changes in clinical microbiological testing trends and their implications for infectious disease incidence and medical utilization during the pandemic. We collected nationwide claims for monthly clinical microbiology tests from January 2018 to March 2022 using the National Health Insurance Service database. Seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average models were employed to make predictions for each disease based on the baseline period (January 2018 to January 2020). The results showed a significant decrease in general bacterial and fungal cultures, respiratory infectious disease-related, and inflammatory markers, while the representatives of tests for vector-borne diseases, healthcare-associated infections, and chronic viral infections remained stable. The study highlights the potential of clinical microbiological testing trends as an additional surveillance tool and offers implications for future infectious disease management and surveillance strategies in pandemic settings.

Risk Factors for Depressive Symptoms in Korean Adult Stroke Survivors: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV-VII (2007-2018).

Depressive symptoms are common in stroke survivors, and they are associated with poor outcomes. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the depressive symptoms in stroke survivors and the risk factors for depressive symptoms in stroke survivors. We included 33,991 participants who were 19 years or older and had completed a questionnaire about the history of stroke from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) IV-VII (from 2007 to 2018). The mean Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score and the prevalence of major depression, depressive symptoms, antidepressant treatment, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts were significantly higher in stroke survivors than in non-stroke participants (4.4 vs. 2.6, 16.2% vs. 5.3%, 24.7% vs. 9.3%, 3.8% vs. 1.4%, 21.7% vs. 4.8%, and 2.5% vs. 0.6%, respectively, all p < 0.001). Complex sample multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the female sex, unemployment, a low education level, a low family income, and activity limitations were independent risk factors for depressive symptoms in stroke survivors. Activity limitations showed the highest odds ratio among the independent factors, and its causes were further analyzed. The most common causes of activity limitations were stroke sequelae and musculoskeletal problems. To reduce depressive symptoms in stroke survivors, attention needs to be paid to minimizing stroke sequelae and musculoskeletal problems along with regular screening for depressive symptoms.

Magnoliae Cortex Alleviates Muscle Wasting by Modulating M2 Macrophages in a Cisplatin-Induced Sarcopenia Mouse Model.

Cachexia causes high mortality, low quality of life, and rapid weight loss in cancer patients. Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by the loss of muscle, is generally present in cachexia and is associated with inflammation. M2 macrophages, also known as an anti-inflammatory or alternatively activated macrophages, have been shown to play a role in muscle repair. Magnoliae Cortex (M.C) is a widely used medicinal herb in East Asia reported to have a broad range of anti-inflammatory activities; however, the effects of M.C on sarcopenia and on M2 macrophage polarization have to date not been studied. This study was designed to investigate whether the oral administration of M.C could decrease cisplatin-induced sarcopenia by modulating M2 macrophage polarization in mice. C57BL/6 mice were injected intraperitoneally with cisplatin (2.5 mg/kg) to mimic chemotherapy-induced sarcopenia. M.C extract (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) was administered orally every 3 days (for a total of 12 times). M.C (100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly alleviated the cisplatin-induced loss of body mass, skeletal muscle weight, and grip strength. In addition, M.C increased the expression of M2 macrophage markers, such as MRC1, CD163, TGF-ß, and Arg-1, and decreased the expression of M1-specific markers, including NOS2 and TNF-α, in skeletal muscle. Furthermore, the levels of like growth factor-1(IGF-1), as well as the number of M2a and M2c macrophages, significantly increased in skeletal muscle after M.C administration. M.C did not interfere with the anticancer effect of cisplatin in colon cancer. Our results demonstrated that M.C can alleviate cisplatin-induced sarcopenia by increasing the number of M2 macrophages. Therefore, our findings suggest that M.C could be used as an effective therapeutic agent to reverse or prevent cisplatin-induced sarcopenia.

Magnolol Attenuates Cisplatin-Induced Muscle Wasting by M2c Macrophage Activation.

Cancer chemotherapy induces sarcopenia, which is a rapid loss of muscle mass that directly restricts daily activities and leads to poor quality of life and increased mortality. Although hormone-related therapies have been used to improve appetite and nutritional status, current treatments are considered palliative. Thus, the protection of skeletal muscle loss without adverse effects is essential to allow the maintenance of chemotherapy in cancer patients. Magnolol from Magnolia officinalis has several pharmacological effects including anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities, but the protection from muscle atrophy is not well-understood. In the present study, we investigated the effects of magnolol on muscle wasting and macrophage subtypes in a cisplatin-induced sarcopenia mouse model. We showed that magnolol significantly attenuated the body weight and the muscle loss induced by cisplatin injection. The diameter of the tibialis anterior muscle was markedly increased after magnolol treatment in cisplatin-treated mice. Importantly, magnolol increased macrophage infiltration into skeletal muscle while not affecting proliferation of macrophages. Magnolol attenuated the imbalance of M1/M2c macrophages by increasing CD206+CD163+ M2c tissue reparative macrophages. Further, magnolol increased insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 expression. This effect was also observed in bone marrow-derived macrophages upon magnolol treatment. Taken together, magnolol may be a promising chemoprotective agent for the prevention of muscle atrophy through the upregulating M2c macrophages, which are a major source of IGF-1.