No abstract

We evaluated the hypothesis that serum IgE regulates neutrophil FcεRI expression in the same manner as described for other FcεRI + cells. FcεRI expression by neutrophils of 40 asthma subjects and 20 control subjects did not correlate with serum IgE levels, whereas FcεRI expression by basophils of the same subjects showed a highly significant correlation. The level of FcεRI expression by neutrophils of both asthma and control subjects was approximately 1% of that for basophil FcεRI expression. IgE + neutrophils were minimally detectable, and FcεRI α subunit was not detected in Western blots of neutrophil membranes and cytosol. The neutrophil FcεRI did not support antiIgE stimulated superoxide release or IgE-induced increase in neutrophil survival. We conclude that FcεRI expression by neutrophils of both asthma patients and control individuals is minimal at best and that, if present, neutrophil FcεRI expression, unlike that of other human FcεRI + cells, is not regulated by serum IgE.

Recent studies on the urine microbiome have highlighted the importance of the gut–vagina–bladder axis in recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI). In particular, the role of Gardnerella as a covert pathogen that activates E. coli in animal experiments has been reported. Herein, we conducted a human bladder microbiome study to investigate the effect of Gardnerella on rUTI. Urine 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing via transurethral catheterization was conducted in the normal control group (NC) (n = 18) and rUTI group (n = 78). The positive detection rate of Gardnerella species did not differ between the NC and rUTI groups (22.2% vs. 18.0%, p = 0.677). In addition, the Gardnerella-positive NC and Gardnerella-positive rUTI groups showed similar levels of microbiome diversity. The Gardnerella-positive group was categorized into three subgroups: the Escherichia-dominant group, Gardnerella-dominant group, and Lactobacillus-dominant group. All of the Escherichia-dominant groups were associated with rUTI. The Gardnerella-dominant or Lactobacillus-dominant groups expressed rUTI with symptoms when risk factors such as the degree of Gardnerella proliferation or causative agents of bacterial vaginosis were present. The presence of Gardnerella in the urine is considered to be related to rUTI depending on other risk factors. New guideline recommendations regarding antibiotic selection based on a novel method to detect the cause of rUTI may be required to reduce antibiotic resistance.

No abstract

The excellent positive and negative predictive values in this multi-center external validation study establish a useful tool to identify asthma cases in in the electronic health record for research and care. This computable phenotype could be used in large-scale comparative-effectiveness trials.

C5b-9 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of immunoglobin A nephropathy (IgAN). We evaluated C5b-9 as a prognostic marker for IgAN. We prospectively enrolled 33 patients with biopsy-proven IgAN. We analyzed the correlation between baseline urinary C5b-9 levels, posttreatment changes in their levels, and clinical outcomes, including changes in proteinuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and treatment response. Baseline urinary C5b-9 levels were positively correlated with proteinuria (r = 0.548, p = 0.001) at the time of diagnosis. Changes in urinary C5b-9 levels were positively correlated with changes in proteinuria (r = 0.644, p < 0.001) and inversely correlated with changes in eGFR (r = −0.410, p = 0.018) at 6 months after treatment. Changes in urinary C5b-9 levels were positively correlated with time-averaged proteinuria during the follow-up period (r= 0.461, p = 0.007) but were not correlated with the mean annual rate of eGFR decline (r = −0.282, p = 0.112). Baseline urinary C5b-9 levels were not a significant independent factor that could predict the treatment response in logistic regression analyses (odds ratio 0.997; 95% confidence interval, 0.993 to 1.000; p = 0.078). Currently, urinary C5b-9 is not a promising prognostic biomarker for IgAN, and further studies are needed.

Background/Aims: Elevated levels of serum myostatin have been proposed as a biomarker for sarcopenia. Recent studies have shown that elevated level of serum myostatin was associated with physical fitness and performance. This study aimed to examine the significance of myostatin in the association between muscle mass and physical performance in the elderly. Methods: This cross-sectional study is based on the Korean Frailty and Aging Cohort study involving 1053 people aged 70 years or over. Anthropometric, physical performance, and laboratory data were collected. Results: The mean age of the participants was 75.8 years, and 50.7% of them were female. Serum myostatin levels in men (3.7 ± 1.2 vs. 3.2 ± 1.1 ng/mL, p < 0.001) were higher compared with that in women. Serum myostatin level was associated with appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) index and eGFR by cystatin C. Serum myostatin/ASM ratio was associated with handgrip strength in women. Conclusion: Higher serum myostatin levels were related with higher muscle mass and better physical performances in the elderly. Serum myostatin/ASM ratio may be a predictor for physical performance rather than myostatin.

We hypothesized that minimal change disease (MCD) pathogenesis may be associated with mitochondrial injury, and that the degree of mitochondrial injury at the time of diagnosis may serve as a valuable prognostic marker. We compared urinary mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) at the time of diagnosis in patients with MCD and age- and sex-matched healthy controls (MHC) (n = 10 each). We analyzed the site and signal intensity of immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of stimulator of interferon genes (STING) using kidney tissues at the time of diagnosis in patients with MCD. Patients with MCD were divided into high (n = 6) and low-intensity (n = 14) subgroups according to the signal intensity. Urinary mtDNA levels were elevated in the MCD groups more than in the MHC group (p < 0.001). Time-averaged proteinuria and frequency of relapses during the follow-up period were higher in the high-intensity than in the low-intensity subgroup (1.18 ± 0.54 vs. 0.57 ± 0.45 g/day, p = 0.022; and 0.72 ± 0.60 vs. 0.09 ± 0.22 episodes/year, p = 0.022, respectively). Mitochondrial injury may be associated with MCD pathogenesis, and the signal intensity of STING IHC staining at the time of diagnosis could be used as a valuable prognostic marker in MCD.