Influence of Smoking and Controlled Medical Conditions on the Risks of Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion in South Korea: A Population-Based Study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of controlled medical conditions and risk of lifetime smoking history on the prevalence of branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) based on the Korea National Health and Nutrition Survey (KNHANES) database from 2017-2021. METHODS: The study population consisted of individuals aged ≥ 40 years who had completed ophthalmological questionnaires, underwent comprehensive ophthalmological examinations, and had at least one good-quality readable fundus photograph. Age, sex, hypertension status, diabetes status, dyslipidemia status, body mass index status, a history of chronic kidney disease (CKD), a lifetime smoking history of ≥ 100 cigarettes, and glaucoma were subjected to univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The estimated prevalence (± standard error) of RVO was 0.5% (±0.1%). Significant risk factors were one-year increase in age, female sex, hypertension (stage 1, controlled, uncontrolled, and undiagnosed hypertension), underweight, pre-obesity, history of CKD, lifetime smoking history of ≥ 100 cigarettes, and glaucoma. Controlled diabetes decreased the risk of BRVO by 55% (odds ratio [OR] = 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.22-0.89, p = 0.022) and controlled hyper-high-density-lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterolemia decreased the risk by 69% (OR = 0.31, 95% CI = 0.13-0.76, p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: This study, for the first time, reported the association between lifetime smoking history of ≥ 100 cigarettes and BRVO in Korea. The risk of BRVO was lower in participants with controlled diabetes and hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia.

Periodontitis and intake of thiamine, riboflavin and niacin among Korean adults.

OBJECTIVES: Adequate intake of vitamin B complex could be prerequisite to health. However, few studies have been reported on the association of thiamine (vit B1 ), riboflavin (vit B2 ) and niacin (vit B3 ) with periodontal health. This study described the association between periodontal health and dietary vit B1 , vit B2 and vit B3 intake in the Korean population. METHODS: A total of 12 750 adults aged over 19 years were selected for this study as a sub-sample of the national data set from Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (IV and V). Periodontitis and gingivitis were defined as Community Periodontal Index (CPI) scores of 3-4 and 1-2, respectively. Information on dietary vit B1 , vit B2 and vit B3 intake was from 24-hour dietary recall method. Multivariable complex logistic regression analyses estimated association between vit B1 , vit B2 and vit B3 intakes and periodontal health after adjusting for various potential confounders. Stratified analyses by age, sex, dyslipidemia and total energy intake were also undertaken. RESULTS: The overall estimated prevalence of periodontitis (CPI 3-4) and gingivitis (CPI 1-2) was 29.9% and 46.6%, respectively. Our data showed none of the inadequate intake of vit B1 , vit B2 and B3 showed significant association with gingivitis after adjusting for potential confounders. Inadequate intake of vit B3 showed higher prevalence odds of periodontitis by 1.25 times (adjusted odds ratio = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.07-1.46). The association of vit B3 with periodontitis was stronger in females and participants aged 40-59 years. CONCLUSIONS: Inadequate dietary intake of vit B3 was associated with periodontitis.

Association of toothbrushing and proximal cleaning with periodontal health among Korean adults: Results from Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in year 2010 and 2012.

AIM: Toothbrushing (TB), dental flossing (DF) and inter-dental brushing (IDB) are regarded as fundamental self-care methods for periodontal health. Few evidences on its effectiveness on periodontal health are available. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the association of TB, DF, IDB and interaction effect with periodontal health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The nationally representative 4,766 Korean adults aged 19 years and older were cross-sectionally surveyed in 2010 and 2012. Periodontal health was defined as Community Periodontal Index 1-2 for gingivitis and 3-4 for periodontitis. The information about variables was from interview and blood analyses. Multivariable logistic regression analyses and the interaction effect between TB and proximal cleaning (PC: DF and/or IDB) were applied. RESULTS: Toothbrushing thrice or more per day and DF were associated with a lower prevalence of periodontitis by both 44%, while the preventive fraction of DF on gingivitis was 30%. The preventive fraction of interaction effects between TB thrice or more and PC were 78% for periodontitis and 68% for gingivitis among 40-59 year age group. CONCLUSIONS: Toothbrushing and PC are independently associated with periodontal health. Hence, periodontists should recommend TB thrice or more per day and PC such as DF and IDB to promote periodontal health.

Enzyme/whole-cell biotransformation of plant oils, yeast derived oils, and microalgae fatty acid methyl esters into n-nonanoic acid, 9-hydroxynonanoic acid, and 1,9-nonanedioic acid.

Oils and fatty acids are important renewable resources provided by nature. Therefore, biotransformation of renewable oils and fatty acids into industrially relevant C9 chemicals was investigated in this study. Olive oil, soybean oil, yeast derived oil, and microalgae fatty acid methyl esters were converted into n-nonanoic acid, 9-hydroxynonanoic acid, and 1,9-nonanedioic acid by a lipase and a recombinant Escherichia coli expressing oleate hydratase, long chain secondary alcohol dehydrogenase, Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase, long chain primary alcohol dehydrogenase, and aldehyde dehydrogenase. It was found that n-nonanoic acid and azelaic acid could be produced to a concentration of 4.3 mM from 3 g/L olive oil with a specific product formation rate of 3.1 U/g dry cells. Biotransformation rates were influenced by compositions of fatty acids and purity of the starting material. This study may contribute to the production of industrially relevant C9 chemicals from renewable oils and fatty acids by simultaneous enzyme/whole-cell biotransformation.

The association of dietary vitamin C intake with periodontitis among Korean adults: Results from KNHANES â £.

BACKGROUNDS: The association of dietary vitamin C (vit C) on periodontitis requires more valid evidence from large representative samples to enable sufficient adjustments. This study aimed to evaluate the association between dietary vit C intake and periodontitis after controlling for various confounders in the representative Korean adult population. METHOD: A total of 10,930 Korean adults (≥19 years) from the fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data set were included in this cross-sectional study. Periodontitis was defined as community periodontal index score of 3 or 4. Dietary vit C intake was estimated from a 24-hour dietary record, and categorized into adequate and inadequate according to the Korean Estimated Average Requirement value. Potential confounders included age, sex, income, frequency of tooth brushing, use of floss, dental visit, drinking, smoking, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and obesity. A multivariable logistic regression analysis and stratified analysis were applied. RESULTS: Those with inadequate dietary vit C intake were more likely by 1.16 times to have periodontitis than those with adequate dietary vit C intake (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.16, 95% confidence interval = 1.04-1.29). Lowest and middle-low quartile of dietary vit C intake, compared to highest quartile of dietary vit C intake, showed significant association (aOR = 1.28 and 1.22 respectively), which was in a biological-gradient relationship (trend-p <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that inadequate dietary vit C intake was independently associated with periodontitis among Korean adults. Hence, adequate intake of dietary vitamin C could be substantially important on the promotion of periodontal health among Korean adults.

Fatty acid hydration activity of a recombinant Escherichia coli-based biocatalyst is improved through targeting the oleate hydratase into the periplasm.

Whole-cell biotransformation of fatty acids can be influenced by the activities of catalytic enzymes and by the efficiency of substrate transport into host cells. Here, we improved fatty acid hydration activity of the recombinant Escherichia coli expressing an oleate hydratase of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia by targeting the catalytic enzyme into the periplasm instead of the cytoplasm. Recombinant E. coli producing OhyA in the periplasm under guidance of the PelB signal sequence (E. coli OhyA_PP) exhibited significantly greater hydration activity with oleic acid and linoleic acid compared to a recombinant E. coli producing OhyA in the cytoplasm (E. coli OhyA_CS). For example, the oleate double bond hydration rate of E. coli OhyA_PP was >400 µmol/g dry cells/min (400 U/g dry cells), which is >10-fold higher than that of E. coli OhyA_CS. As the specific activities of the enzymes targeted into the cytoplasm and periplasm were comparable, we assumed that targeting OhyA into the periplasm could accelerate fatty acid transport to the catalytic enzymes by skipping the major mass transport barrier of the cytoplasmic membrane. Our results will contribute to the development of whole-cell biocatalysts for fatty acid biotransformation.