Association of Allergic Diseases and Related Conditions with Dietary Fiber Intake in Korean Adults.

An association between fiber intake and allergic diseases in children has been reported; however, many studies have not been conducted to assess this association in adults. We aimed to evaluate the association between dietary fiber intake and allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis) among 10,479 adults using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010-2011). As dietary fiber intake increased, the prevalence of asthma (Q4 adjusted odds ratio (OR): 0.656; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48-0.91, p for trend < 0.0001) and atopic dermatitis (Q3 crude OR: 0.746; 95% CI: 0.57-0.98; Q4 adjusted OR: 0.712; 95% CI: 0.50-1.01, p for trend < 0.0001) decreased. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis (Q2 adjusted OR: 0.840; 95% CI: 0.70-1.00, p for trend < 0.0001) tended to decrease, especially in males. Subgroup analysis revealed that fiber intake reduced allergic rhinitis symptoms, including watery rhinorrhea (Q3 adjusted OR: 0.734; 95% CI: 0.55-0.97; Q4 adjusted OR: 0.722; 95% CI: 0.54-0.97) and dog allergen sensitization (Q3 adjusted OR: 0.319; 95% CI: 0.13-0.82; Q4 adjusted OR: 0.338; 95% CI: 0.13-0.86), exclusively in males. Thus, dietary fiber intake influences allergic diseases in adults, especially males.

The Expression of ephrinA1/ephA2 Receptor Increases in Chronic Rhinosinusitis and ephrinA1/ephA2 Signaling Affects Rhinovirus-Induced Innate Immunity in Human Sinonasal Epithelial Cells.

EphA2 receptor and its ephrin ligands are involved in virus infection, epithelial permeability, and chemokine secretion. We hypothesized that ephrinA1/ephA2 signaling participates in rhinovirus (RV)-induced antiviral immune response in sinonasal mucosa of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Therefore, we investigated the expression of ephrinA1/ephA2 in normal and inflamed sinonasal mucosa and evaluated whether they regulate chemokine secretion and the production of antiviral immune mediators including interferons (IFNs) in RV-infected human primary sinonasal epithelial cells. For this purpose, the expression and distribution of ephrinA1/ephA2 in sinonasal mucosa were evaluated with RT-qPCR, immunofluorescence, and western blot. Their roles in chemokine secretion and the production of antiviral immune mediators such as type I and III IFNs, and interferon stimulated genes were evaluated by stimulating ephA2 with ephrinA1 and inactivating ephA2 with ephA2 siRNA or inhibitor in cells exposed to RV and poly(I:C). We found that ephrinA1/ephA2 were expressed in normal mucosa and their levels increased in inflamed sinonasal mucosa of CRS patients. RV infection or poly(I:C) treatment induced chemokine secretion which were attenuated by blocking the action of ephA2 with ephA2 siRNA or inhibitor. The production of antiviral immune mediators enhanced by rhinovirus or poly (I:C) is increased by blocking ephA2 compared with that of cells stimulated by either rhinovirus or poly(I:C) alone. In addition, blocking ephA2 attenuated RV replication in cultured cells. Taken together, these results describe a novel role of ephrinA1/ephA2 signaling in antiviral innate immune response in sinonasal epithelium, suggesting their participation in RV-induced development and exacerbations of CRS.

Nationwide Analysis of Mortality Rates and Related Surgical Procedures in Hearing Disability Patients in South Korea.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hearing loss (HL) and its repercussions are major problems in today's society. There are limited data on the relationship between degree of HL and otologic disorders. The aim of this study is to estimate mortality rates, rates of sudden idiopathic HL and related otologic surgical procedures in hearing disability patients in South Korea. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Retrospective medical data for 160,205 patients with hearing disability was extracted. Mortality rates, rates of sudden idiopathic HL and related otologic surgical procedures were compared with a normal control group consisting of 865,475 people; approximately 5 times the number of hearing disability patients. RESULTS: According to the Korean National Disability Registry (NDR), 0.458% of the population in South Korea suffered from hearing disability in 2015. Higher rates of mortality and sudden idiopathic HL were reported in hearing disability patients, increasing up to a maximum of 1.594 times and 1,039.695 times, respectively, compared to the normal control group. Mastoidectomy surgery was 2.5 times more frequently performed and pressure equalizing (PE) tube insertion was about 15 times more frequently performed in hearing disability patients. CONCLUSIONS: Hearing disability is related to higher risks of mortality, sudden idiopathic HL and otologic surgical procedures, including mastoidectomy and PE tubing.