Comparison of in-shoe plantar pressure between Korean combat boots and running shoes.

INTRODUCTION: Combat boots are special shoes designed for soldiers to wear during activities in rough terrain, such as long marches or military training. Combat boots have been known to cause high plantar pressure and increase the injury rate of the lower extremities. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the difference in in-shoe plantar pressure between Korean combat boots and running shoes. We hypothesised that the newest Korean combat boots would have comparable plantar pressure distribution with running shoes. METHODS: We prospectively recruited 30 asymptomatic male participants, who are candidates for military services, from the local area. Two types of shoes (the newly developed Korean combat boots and running shoes) were examined. Pedobarographic measurements were collected using the pedar-X in-shoe pressure measurement system. Peak pressure (PP), pressure time integral (PTI), contact area and contact time were analysed. RESULTS: Both PP and PTI at the region of central and lateral forefeet (FF) were significantly higher in combat boots. The contact area of combat boots was significantly lower at the region of the hallux, second-fifth toes, medial FF, central FF and midfoot. Contact time at the region of central FF and medial heel was significantly higher in combat boots. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding the plantar pressure distribution of combat boots can be helpful for developing combat boots and preventing injury. Based on the results of our study, the next-generation Korean combat boots should be developed to increase contact area and distribute impulse under the head of the metatarsal bone.

Cell-free supernatant of Lactococcus lactis IDCC 2301 exerts anti-inflammatory effects in LPS-induced macrophages via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

This study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of cell-free supernatant of Lactococcus lactis IDCC 2301 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced RAW 264.7 macrophages. Expression of inflammatory mediators and cytokines, and the production of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were qualitatively analysed. The expression of signal transductors in inflammatory cascades was quantified by western blot. Treatment with cell-free supernatant of L. lactis IDCC 2301 significantly decreased the mRNA expression levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukins including IL-1ß and IL-6. The levels of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX-2) were also remarkably reduced in LPS-induced macrophages after the treatment. Furthermore, L. lactis IDCC 2301 reduced the levels of both dephosphorylated and phosphorylated forms of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), IκB-α, extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), c-Jun amino-terminal kinases (JNK), and p38 in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells. Therefore, L. lactis IDCC 2301 shows anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing the NF-κB and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways.

Detection of novel drug-adverse drug reaction signals in rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis: analysis of Korean real-world biologics registry data.

This study aimed to detect signals of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) associated with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and targeted therapies in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients. Utilizing the KOrean College of Rheumatology BIOlogics & Targeted Therapy Registry (KOBIO) data, we calculated relative risks, excluded previously reported drug-ADR pairs, and externally validated remaining pairs using US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) and single centre's electronic health records (EHR) data. Analyzing data from 2279 RA and 1940 AS patients, we identified 35 significant drug-ADR pairs in RA and 26 in AS, previously unreported in drug labels. Among the novel drug-ADR pairs from KOBIO, 15 were also significant in the FAERS data. Additionally, 2 significant drug-laboratory abnormality pairs were found in RA using CDM MetaLAB analysis. Our findings contribute to the identification of 14 novel drug-ADR signals, expanding our understanding of potential adverse effects related to biological DMARDs and targeted therapies in RA and AS. These results emphasize the importance of ongoing pharmacovigilance for patient safety and optimal therapeutic interventions.

The p53 codon 72 polymorphism in Mongolian patients with bladder cancer / Монголын Анагаах Ухаан

IntroductionThe p53 gene is frequently mutated in various forms of human cancers. The p53 signaling pathway isactivated by endogenous and exogenous stress signals and induces growth arrest, cellular senescenceand apoptosis. A common polymorphism occurs at codon 72 of the p53 has been demonstrated that itmight be associated with bladder cancer risk. However, results of researches related to this topic werecontroversial and more investigations and samples size needed.GoalTo evaluate TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism in Mongolian patients with bladder cancer.Materials and MethodWe evaluated TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism in DNA samples from 82 patients with bladder cancerand 82 age and gender matched healthy subjects using polymerase chain reaction-based restrictionfragment length polymorphism. All enrolments of this study were Mongolians. The association betweeneach genotype of TP53 Arg72Pro and bladder cancer risk was examined by the odds ratio and 95%confi dence interval, using logistic regression analysis. The early age onset of bladder cancer patientswas also evaluated among different genotypes of TP53 Arg72Pro.ResultsThe proportion of the polymorphism of TP53 Arg72Pro were RR 53.7% (n=44); PR 34.1% (n=28); andPP 12.2% (n=10) in the bladder cancer patients, whereas RR 52.4% (n=43); PR 28% (n=23); and PP19.6% (n=16) in healthy controls. The PR genotype increased the risk of bladder cancer (OR1.189;95% CI 0.42-0.75; p=0.997) in Mongolian people, whereas PP genotype protected from the cancer(OR=0.610; 95% CI 0.22-0.44, p=0.998) compared to the RR, respectively, however signifi cance isweak. Moreover, there was no association between each genotype of TP53 Arg72Pro (RR=52; PR=54;PP=58) and early onset of bladder cancer in the Mongolian population.Conclusion: Our result indicates that the PR genotype tends to increase the risk of bladder canceramong Mongolians. RR genotype of TP53 Arg72Pro is more prevalent among Mongolians.